International Day of the Girl Child: Together for Equal Opportunities

October 11th is the International Day of the Girl Child. We want to put all girls and young women in the spotlight and emphasize why they deserve the same opportunities as boys. Unfortunately, it is a sad reality that girls still do not get the same opportunities everywhere in the world. Sometimes they are discriminated against simply because they are girls. So it is high time to change that!

A basic need: clean and safe toilets

Let’s talk about something that should be obvious to all of us: clean and safe toilets and water. It’s a basic right and sounds like something everyone should have, right? But for many people, this is still a distant dream. Girls and women are particularly hard hit by the lack of access to these basic necessities.

Imagine that you are a girl and you have to go to school and there are no proper toilet facilities. Some school toilets look like primitive huts with a few holes in the ground… This means that many girls do not dare to go to school when they are menstruating. Millions of them miss a quarter (!) of their school time. And as if that is not enough, they often have to travel enormous distances to fetch clean water. This means no time for school or work, and they also run the risk of becoming victims of (sexual) violence along the way. Together with women and girls in Ghana, we are working to improve this and ensure better access to safe and clean toilets!

What we do to help…

So, what are we doing to help? Well, at The Good Roll we are on a mission to tackle these issues. We understand that taboos can complicate the lives of women and girls, so we are trying to break them! Together with great partners like Nalú and Days for Girls, we are raising awareness among children about menstruation and the importance of good hygiene. Through education, we aim to create open conversations, which helps to reduce social stigmas, for both boys and girls.

If there isn’t enough clean water and toilets, we build them! We work with local communities to build these facilities, especially in schools and public spaces. And we don’t just build; we also provide maintenance, education and jobs, because we believe in lasting change! Our water, toilet and hygiene projects are especially focused on the needs of women, and we involve them in every step of the way.

So let's join forces, support our projects and change the world together. Together we can give girls everywhere the same opportunities. It's time for change, and together we can make that difference!