The United Nations Foundation and Girl Up Campaign Rally Supporters Around Girls’ Education in Honor of Malala Day

The United Nations Foundation and the Girl Up campaign are enlisting supporters to send messages of hope to Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl shot by the Taliban near her school in Pakistan because of her strong advocacy for girls’ education.  November 10 has been designated by United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, as Malala Day, a day to celebrate a vision of a world in which every child can to go to school, learn and be a global citizen, and have an opportunity to make that vision come true.

“Malala courageously spoke out for the rights of girls, and we are calling on our supporters to use their voices to support the rights of girls everywhere to be educated.  Today, the UN Foundation and its Girl Up campaign, along with partners such as Vital Voices and Google, are giving supporters a chance to say that every child deserves an education, regardless of gender,” said Elizabeth Gore, Vice President of Global Partnerships for the UN Foundation.  “Educating girls not only benefits their families and communities, it improves our world.”

Starting today, GirlUp.org gives visitors a chance to send a message of hope to Malala, to get more people involved by sharing with their friends on Facebook and Twitter, and to donate to a newly announced Malala Fund.

Globally, girls make up more than half of school-aged children who are not in school.  Education is key to a healthier life and a better future.   Research has shown that investing in girls’ education transcends generations, resulting in better health and economic outcomes among women, their families and their communities. Girl Up works with the United Nations to make sure adolescent girls have access to quality education and complete schooling from nursery school through high school.

To send a message of support, enlist the support of friends, or donate, visit GirlUp.org.

About Girl Up
Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls ages 13-18 the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.  Go to GirlUp.org to learn more.

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visitwww.unfoundation.org.