Happy International Day of the Girl: 15 Girls Health Education Facts

Self-Esteem & Body Image:

• Approximately 15-25% of girls worldwide have experienced physical or sexual trauma before or during adolescence. 
• 6 in 10 girls will stop participating in sports they love due to poor body image
• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
• 50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight
• 80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight

Nutrition & Fitness:

• According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality.
• People aged 5–17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. 
• Amounts of physical activity greater than 60 minutes provide additional health benefits.
• Healthy eating helps reduce one’s risk for developing obesity, osteoporosis, iron deficiency, and dental cavities.
• Most US youth do not obtain the proper nutrients daily.
• The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period

Reproductive Health:

• In 2011, there were 54.5 pregnancies per thousand to girls 15 to 19 years old.
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in women, and is the main cause of cervical cancer.
• Young girls and teens who do not have knowledge of their own body anatomy are more likely to be taken advantage of sexually.

Skincare:

• According to the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), skin problems can lead to embarrassment, lowered self-esteem and self-confidence, anxiety and even depression. Furthermore, the skin of the face is often sensitive, and therefore more susceptible to damage and skin problems. In fact, experience with serious skin conditions can have lasting psychological effects, which can lead to social withdrawal. Clinical depression, social phobia, and certain anxiety disorders have been associated with skin problems. 

First Annual Back to School Wellness Expo

Our first ever Back to School Wellness Expo was a success! We had a record turnout of volunteers, and enthusiastic youth who were eager to participate in our classes!

There were several informative classes on skin care, exercise, nutrition and reproductive health! Kudos to volunteer Heather for teaching the skincare portion and LAYC’s Tara for teaching us her dance moves as part of the fitness lesson!

Thank you Pop Chips for the healthy in-kind donations and Subway for catering!

We appreciate the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) for providing us with a beautiful venue! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Many thanks to you from all us at GHE for coming out to the first Back To School Wellness Expo! Look out for more events like this one in the near future!

To get involved, e-mail us at info@girlshealthed.org.

Healthy Teen Girl Feature: Julia & Maria

Meet our amazing healthy teen girl features, Julia and Maria! Don't let their age fool you, they are the founders of a nonprofit organization, Pretty Purposeful!

In their own words:  “We are Julia and Maria, 16 & 14 year old sisters from Southlake, TX. We run our own 501(c)(3) nonprofit, PrettyPurposeful.com. Our goal is to raise funds for obstetric fistula surgeries in Africa by selling our own products on our site, putting on events, and working with corporate sponsors. We first heard about obstetric fistula when we watched the documentary "A Walk to Beautiful". Obstetric fistula is caused by the combined problems of child marriage and malnutrition, when small girls and young women give birth to full-term babies. This leads to an obstructed labor period, which causes tissue to rub together and die, creating a hole, or "fistula", which causes them to leak uncontrollably from their bowels and bladder. In most cases, the baby will not survive, and the girl will be left with a painful, devastating, and embarrassing condition. The worst part is that these girls are often rejected by husbands, families, and communities, since they've lost their purpose in their society.”

Julia & Maria say:  “Our goal is to provide life-changing $500 fistula repair surgeries, to help these hurting girls recover and help them to find a new purpose in life, and feel beautiful again (hence the meaning behind our name, "Pretty Purposeful").

We also wanted to start our charity so that we could inspire local girls to find their passion and care about others. We decided a good way to raise money for surgeries would be to create an all-day event for local teen girls about finding their purpose. This past summer we put on our first event, Camp Pretty Purposeful! We had 13 female speakers, including a former supermodel, two M.D.s, two amazing teen speakers with their own charities/books, and a South Sudanese refugee. The camp also included a fashion show, hair and makeup demos, as well as fitness and nutrition talks. Girls were able to text in questions for the speakers to answer at the end of their speeches. Local businesses donated hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards and gifts that we raffled off, and the speakers sold their products at tables. Overall, many teen girls left inspired and encouraged, and we were able to raise thousands of dollars for surgeries!

Our future goals for Pretty Purposeful include traveling to Africa at some point to meet with future patients and establish relationships with local clinics and doctors, putting on another event next summer, and expanding our product line on our website.”

We say: Awesome work Julia and Maria! Keep up the good work! Good luck raising funds for obstetric fistula surgeries for young women in Africa and raising awareness at the same time! Congratulations to you two!

Check out an interview Julia and Maria did this summer on D the Broadcast:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cWxo0OEzVI and this video of them explaining more abut their charity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yWucIBNcJk

You may also follow them on Twitter: @PPurposeful

Are you (or someone you know) an inspirational teen girl doing great things in the community? If so, please e-mail us at info@girlshealthed.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Back to School Wellness Expo!

This FREE fun-filled event for both youth and parents will be held in a large community room and will feature health education information sessions on nutrition, fitness, skincare/personal care and reproductive health, along with breaks for healthy snacks. For our fitness portion, it will be interactive and attendees will have the opportunity to move to the music. We look forward to seeing you!

Register here: http://backtoschoolwellnessexpo.eventbrite.com/

First 25 people to register will receive free giveaways!

Girls Health Ed. Rooftop Fundraiser A Success!

Eight months ago, Girls Health Ed. was launched, and just last month, we had our first official fundraiser, Let's Luau, hosted by local philanthropic group, Sip With Socialites!

The Hawaiian luau theme fit very well with our logo colors, hot pink and orange. It was great to see everyone in their best and brightest colors, raising funds and awareness for girls' health education! The community support was just amazing!

We are so proud to be able to say that Let's Luau‬ was a success!‪ Thank you‬ Sip With Socialites, The Graham Hotel DC and all sponsors! Thanks also to Guest of a Guest DC, Kipp Burgoyne and to the Washington Post for covering the event! 

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Click here to read the online article!

Together, we raised $1500 total!!! Funds raised will go to purchase educational materials for the girls in our program.

Fall Social Media Intern Needed!

Are you looking for the opportunity to help make a difference in young girls lives? Are you social media savvy? Please email us for a job description and to apply for the Fall 2013 Social Media Internship. Contact us at info@girlshealthed.org.

Healthy Teen Girl Feature: Emily Harwell

Meet our amazing inaugural healthy teen girl feature, Emily! Currently serving as the Teen Advisor Co-Chair of the UN's GirlUp, she is the true definition of #GirlPower!

In her own words: "I’m Emily Harwell, a seventeen year old high school student from Tampa, Florida. I’m the co-chair of the Teen Advisor class for Girl Up a United Nations Foundation campaign that raises funds and awareness for UN programs that benefit girls in developing countries. As a Teen Advisor, I attend events (like Malala Day at the UN) on Girl Up's behalf, plan and host my own events, and help the Girl Up staff with campaign strategy. I am a role model because I spend my time helping less fortunate children."

Emily says: "My enthusiasm for global women’s issues was ignited when I read the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof. I couldn’t believe some of the things I read about what girls in developing countries face on a regular basis, and I knew that there had to be a way that I could help. Through Girl Up, I got an opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of girls just like me but who are not fortunate enough to have the same opportunities I do."

We say: You go Emily! Keep raising funds and awareness to empower girls with resources they need to succeed. You are setting a great example for us all! 

Watch her video here to learn more about how she's changing the world around her to harness the global power of girls: http://www.girlup.org/about/teen-advisors/emily-co-chair.html

You may also follow her on Twitter: @EmilyHarwell

Are you (or someone you know) an inspirational teen girl doing great things in the community? If so, please e-mail us at info@girlshealthed.org. We'd love to hear from you!