Memo

As a Hispanic region, the El Paso/ Juarez community carries some Mexican, old fashioned traditions that can sometimes interfere with the development of the region. One of these traditions is that women are to be married at a young age, procreate and take care of their family for the rest of their life.  Even though time has changed people’s view on that, there are still many adolescent girls who believe that that is what they are expected to do because of their family background.  This can have a serious negative impact in this society as a whole.  The girls who follow this tradition don’t have or don’t continue with their education, marry too young and miss out on every opportunity they might have had of a successful life, therefore they have to conform with living in poverty.  This not only affects this society but it contributes to the world’s poverty in general. This alarming issue is well known around the world but unfortunately there is very little aid to prevent this from happening.  There is need for organizations to educate girls in their rights and make them aware of all the options around them.

The Coalition for Adolescent girls is an organization that is well aware of this problem and is taking action in helping young girls in many ways so that they are able to continue their education and have a rewarding life.  The organization was founded by the United Nations Foundation and the Nike Foundation in 2005, and has partnerships with more than 30 leading international organizations, that are also related to this cause. The coalition for Adolescent girls has 10 global actions, which are divided into three steps, “count”, “invest” and “advocate”.  The first action is to give girls an official identification. The organization makes sure girls are provided with a birth certificate as newborns to facilitate access to health services and education. Also it provides identification card to girls starting at age 10. The second step is to collect data on adolescent girls and track weather beneficiaries groups are reaching out to these girls. The third step is to invest in the adolescent girls and their specific needs and track what it achieves in the future. The fourth step is to help fund for girls’ education by providing them with scholarships, subsidies, and conditional cash transfers to make it affordable for the girls with most disadvantage. Also the Coalition is investing in non-formal schooling options. Step five is to focus on Aids and HIV prevention. The sixth step is to offer medical check-ups for reproductive and sexual health risks to girls starting at age 10. The seventh and eight steps are to build up marketing skills in the girls and also hold tutoring and mentoring programs.  The ninth and tenth steps are to educate the girls on their rights and give them the empowerment to take control of their lives. Also it promotes for a healthier and supportive community towards adolescent girls.

The organization encourages everyone’s participation in this movement. The Coalition for Adolescent girl’s website provides plenty of helpful information. It includes various links and the website is very easy to follow. It also provides reports on all the actions the organization is doing and there are also narratives from girls who were helped. All the organizations that are linked to The Coalition for Adolescent Girls are also listed. It is important to keep in mind all these organization for the sake of not only the girls but the world in general.