Empowering girls: Background and talking points forgovernors-elect and senior leaders
Equality is a fundamental human right that’s necessary for a peaceful, prosperous, andsustainable world. Still, girls and women worldwide face inequities in areas including
health and education, and they experience violence and poverty at higher rates thanmen.
As one of his key initiatives, President-elect Shekhar Mehta is prioritizing projects that
focus on improving the health, education, well-being, and economic security of girls
across the globe. He is encouraging clubs and districts to empower girls in all of theservice initiatives they undertake during the 2021-22 Rotary year.
Empowering girls means supporting them to ensure that their basic needs are met whileworking to transform the structures and institutions that reinforce and perpetuate
gender discrimination and inequality. It includes helping girls develop self-confidence
and make their voices heard.
According to the United Nations, empowering girls includes five components:•••••

Their sense of self-worth
Their right to have and to determine choices
Their right to have access to opportunities and resources
Their right to have power to control their own lives, both within and outside thehome
Their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a more just socialand economic order, nationally and internationally

TOP MESSAGES•We encourage clubs and districts to engage in one or more projects that address
the inequities affecting girls.

•A club or district might identify inequities that girls face in one region or culturethat are different from the inequities they face in other regions and cultures.
Clubs and districts should aim to address inequities in the regions and cultures
where their projects will be implemented.

•Empowering girls aligns with Rotary’s areas of focus and the goals of our Action
Plan. We can increase our impact through projects that protect, empower, andcreate equity for girls. These projects could focus on:oSupporting access to health care and nutritionoEnsuring access to water, sanitation, and hygiene resourcesoPreventing exploitation, neglect, and physical and emotional violence1oSupplying menstrual health and hygiene resources

oProviding access to basic education, skills training, and technology

oPreventing or raising awareness about child labor and child marriage

oOffering opportunities for girls to elevate their voices and articulate theirviews, ideas, and opinions•The success of a project is determined by systemic, cultural, and behavioral
changes that result in greater gender equality and better lives for girls.

•We encourage Rotary members to share proposed projects for which they are
seeking partners as well as their completed projects on Rotary Showcase.

•Clubs that need help designing projects to empower girls can contact their district
international service committee to consult with a member of the district resourcenetwork, which includes representatives from Rotary Action Groups and The
Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers.

•More information, including project ideas and resources to help clubs empowergirls through their service projects, will be available on My Rotary by 1 July.

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