The Girl Effect

I watched the video on this website today and it resonated with me. There's something very powerful about its simple message. Have a look:

The Girl Effect

Of course, nothing in this world is perhaps quite as simple as the solution they present (this happens to be an initiative of Nike, who have definitely brought the best of corporate marketing to international development in this video). But there is so much to be said for the concept of the Girl Effect.

I learned recently that in Bangladesh the nutrition levels of female-headed households are higher than those of male-headed households. Female-headed households are almost universally poorer than their male counterparts, and yet they make better decisions about how to spend their limited resources. Tummies are filled, health improves, benefits abound.

Girls all over the world are neglected, rejected, subjected to the shortest end of the global poverty stick. And yet there is no doubt in my mind that girls (and women) do represent the greatest (and most underutilized) force of change in the developing world. If you look closely, you can see it in their eyes.