Child marriage robs girls of their childhood

Pause for a moment to consider your feelings for your daughter or sister. Now consider your feelings if she would marry before she turns 15 or bear a child before she turns 18?

“Bangladesh is home to 42 million child brides. Of these, 21 million married before age 15.” (Source Unicef: Child marriage Bangladesh-profile 2019)

On average 67% of out of school children in Bangladesh marry or enter a union before they turn 18 and 17% before they turn 15! Poverty, living in urban village and low literacy are deciding factors increasing the probability of child marriage. Girls who are out of schools are 33% more likely to marry early than the girls who have access to education. (Source Unicef: Bangladesh Education Fact Sheet 2020).

Child marriage robs girls of their childhood and seriously limits their life options. It lowers their education levels and increases the risks of adolescent pregnancy and violence. It also results in the
inter-generational transmission of poverty. Early marriage and pregnancy inhibit the further growth of adolescent girls. They become “small mothers” who in turn give birth to underweight babies. Small babies grow up to be small girls and underdeveloped adolescents, and the vicious cycle starts again. (Source Unicef: Child marriage Bangladesh-profile 2019)

Sodipta Biswas, our beautiful student at Hope Arises Napora village.  She is 16 years old but has only had access to basic education for two years when Hope Arises school arrived in her village. She is extremely grateful for the hopeful vision for her future her education provides her. She receives a nutritious meal every school day and monthly personal hygiene supplies to reduce financial burden upon her father that in turn eliminates some of the threat of being forced to marry young just to secure a meal and basic needs for each day.

Join us in helping the girls like Sodipta in Bangladesh to determine their future for themselves with education, school meals, health education and health services, and with an overall more hopeful vision for their future possibilities.

Donate today to make a huge impact on lives of these these children. Our promise to you is that your donation will benefit in full the children in Bangladesh. All fundraising and administrative assignments outside Bangladesh is executed by our volunteers pro bono. Our principle and teachers are the only paid personnel in the entire Hope Arises global organization.