I’ve been catching little girls staring at me a lot these days; I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because I’m finally at an age where I know and like who I am.  It always makes me smile when it happens because I remember so clearly doing the same thing.  I wonder if they’re thinking what I used to when I was a little girl, I want to be like that, pretty lady when I grow up.

In many developing countries, little girls become grownups at just 12-years-old.  When a girl turns 12 and lives in poverty, her life is out of her control.  She will likely be married by 14 and pregnant by 15.  If she survives childbirth she might have to sell her body to support her family, which increases her risk for contracting HIV.  It’s shocking but this is the story of 50 million little girls.

Girls are uniquely capable of investing in their communities and making their lives, and the lives of their brothers, sisters and communities better.  It’s the ripple effect that happens when girls are given the support to realize their full potential and it’s being called The Girl Effect.  Given the chance to stay in school and to get regular medical care, a girl can grow up being safe and then eventually, use her education to earn a living.  She’ll be able to marry and have children when she is ready unleashing the great, untapped, potential of girls both in their own societies and the rest of the world.

The next time you see a little girl staring at you, remember how lucky you are to have taken the time you needed to become a grown up, to be the kind of woman she wants to be.  Remember how lucky you are to be living a life you love, of your own choosing and then, because you can, why not do something to help little girls in other countries get the chance to love their lives like you do.

For more information, visit www.girleffect.org.