Meghan Markle’s International Day of the Girl

Meghan Markle celebrated International Day of the Girl on Sunday with a sweet song and a video of her children, along with two announcements around working to improve girls’ rights.

The Duchess of Sussex marked the day by posting a reel on Instagram of her daughter Lilibet walking through the English countryside, set to the Temptations’ 1964 soul classic My Girl.

In the video, big brother Archie leads the way down a country path on his scooter and the family’s black Labrador retriever, Pula, also makes a cute appearance.

It’s the second time the Duchess, 45, has revealed a glimpse of her kids since the family moved back to the UK from the United States in August.

Last month, Markle posted a video of the children traipsing in the idyllic British countryside and included a clip of Prince Harry, 42, in a small boat with the kids, fishing in a lake.

While no longer “working royals”, Meghan also announced Archewell Philanthropies*, the charity she runs with Prince Harry, is collaborating with the Alliance of Moms and the Alliance For Children’s Rights.

“Small acts of care can make a big difference for parents, for caregivers, for moms*,” Ms Markle posted on social media on Sunday.

She also revealed a recent afternoon tea at London’s luxury Claridge's Hotel with Nobel prize laureate* Malala Yousafzai* was in support of girls and empowering “the women of tomorrow.”

Sharing photos of the meeting on Instagram, Ms Markle announced in the caption that 100 per cent of the net proceeds* from her As Ever jams and teas would go to the Malala Fund to give girls access to “free, safe, quality” education.

“Tea for Two has never felt so good,” said the Duchess in the caption.

The Malala Fund was set up in 2013 by Malala and her father Ziauddin Yousafzai to advocate* for a world where all girls have the right to 12 years of free, safe and quality education.

Its official site states that there are more than 122 million girls out of school across the world today, with many in low-income countries more likely to drop out once they reach secondary schooling.

Not only does gender bias* continue to play a role, with boys more likely to be sent to school than girls in many places where affordability is a problem, issues like early marriage, pregnancy and inadequate protection of girls from violence also leads to many girls being denied their chance of a proper education.

HOW TO HELP GIRLS ACROSS THE WORLD
The International Day of the Girl Child is marked each October 11 as the global day chosen by the United Nations, when people across the world can celebrate girls and advocate for girls’ rights.

This year’s theme calls to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights. According to the UN, more than 12 million girls are married before they reach adulthood each year, with the highest numbers living in sub-Saharan Africa (31 per cent).

Child marriage denies girls the right to stay in school and fulfil their potential. But change is happening, the UN states.

“Thanks to investments in girls’ education, legal reform and social protection, an estimated 68 million child marriages have been averted* over the past 25 years, proving that progress is possible when girls are supported and their rights are protected,” the UN website states.

“We have the solutions: keeping girls in school; expanding access to health, protection and social services; working with families and communities to challenge harmful norms; investing in girls’ rights and supporting their leadership.”

While such a large problem can feel overwhelming to address, raising awareness of the issue can be a crucial first step towards action.

Supporting charities such as the Malala Fund through fundraising also plays an important part in the advocacy work being done to improve the opportunities available to girls across the world.

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GLOSSARY

• philanthropies: the love of humanity and the promotion of welfare and quality of life of others through charitable works
• moms: the American spelling of mums has been used
• Malala Yousafzai: a Pakistani education activist, human rights advocate, and the youngest Nobel prize laureate in history. Yousafzai wrote an anonymous diary for the BBC when she was 11 that described life under Taliban rule where girls were banned from attending school. In 2012 a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus but she survived and was treated at a hospital in Birmingham, England. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17 in 2014 and wrote a best-selling autobiography after graduating from Oxford University
• net proceeds: amount made after all expenses have been paid for
• advocate: raising awareness and working to bring about change
• gender bias: the unfair treatment of people based on their gender, most commonly resulting in the favouritism of men and boys over women and girls
• averted: something bad being prevented

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QUICK QUIZ
1. What are some reasons why millions of girls across the world leave school at an early age?
2. How many girls are married before they become adults?
3. What are some of the things that child marriage denies girls from having?
4. What are some of the known solutions to prevent child marriage, as listed by the UN?
5. How did the Duchess of Sussex celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Education growth
Sketch a large tree outlining your past, present and future educational journey.

On your tree, include the following components;

– Roots: What helped you access education? For example, safe schools, teachers, transport and family support.

– Trunk: What skills have and will you develop at school

– Branches: What opportunities can education create for you & others?

– Leaves: What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

Share your tree sketch with some classmates.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Write 1-2 paragraphs on this statement;

“If every child had access to a quality education, the world might …”

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.