Lagos  – Nigerian actress and philanthropist Omotola Jalade-Ekeindein discussed ONE campaign’s Poverty is Sexist on Multichoice’s Big Brother Naija. This year, ONE is progressing the Poverty is Sexist Campaign, with a specific focus on tackling girls’ education. Right now, there are 130 million girls out of school worldwide. ONE wants to change this and get every girl in school by 2030, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Jalade-Ekeindein has been a friend of ONE since the first launch of Poverty is Sexist in 2015. She has dedicated herself to advocating for increased investments on girls’ education in Nigeria.

Nachilala Nkombo, ONE’s interim executive director for Africa, said:

“We know that poverty hits girls harder than boys, and because poverty is sexist, girls in the poorest countries, particularly here in Africa are less likely to receive an education. Yet if we enable every girl to go to school, everybody benefits, because investing in girls and women lifts them AND their communities out of poverty. When girls win, we all win. Africa’s transformation depends on changing the lives of women and girls on the continent

It’s simple really – educating girls is one of the most effective tools in the fight against extreme poverty. So,  March 8^th on International Women’s Day, in cities from London, Lagos and Borno State, we will take action and ask our representatives to act for the 130 million girls out of school.”

We are coming together and building a movement to make sure every girl has a quality education and secures their future.

There are 130 million girls out of school globally. Each one of them counts and ONE will count them all – out loud. Counting from 1 to 130 million would take five years, but we need to make progress for girls in less time than it would take to show that Girls Count.. So we will use our “Girls Count” action to literarily count each girl. Counting each girl relentlessly, will remind our leaders that we understand what 130 million really means and that they need to act.

You can join Girls Count by counting a number yourself and posting the video or picture online. Get creative! Ask your friends and family to take part and help us spread the word. Stay tuned for our count which will begin on March 8^th.

Join us to stand with women everywhere on International Women’s Day.

 

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About ONE

ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than 7 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs.