Over the years, women and girls have always been undervalued and faced with discrimination by being placed second to men. Girls are taught cautious women, good wives, to be virtuous, groomed, and raised to be the perfect addition to their husbands, but never to be presidents, scientists, engineers, or taught how to sit and speak at a table full of men.

International Day of the Girl Child celebrates the Girl Child as the foundation of women. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses on addressing the challenges girls face and promoting girls’ empowerment and promotion of their human rights.

The theme “Digital Generation, Our Generation” acknowledges the speedy pace of the digital world and how technology has also widened the digital gap. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of digital technology, transiting education, businesses, and connecting onto digital platforms. It widened the digital gap and emphasized the digital realities of girls around the world. Larger populations of the world do not have access to mobile phones, the internet, or digital literacy. Thus, 50% of the world is still operating offline. Because of this, many girls around the world could not continue their education because schools continued through digital means.

Digital inclusion and literacy open new avenues to learning, earning, and leading for girls, especially during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which deepened the gender divide around connectivity and online safety, with girls facing economic and social barriers to the internet and device access.

FAME Foundation calls on the Government, communities, families, and citizens to celebrate the girl child by providing education and support by facilitating equal access to the internet and digital devices for girls to safely access, use, lead and design technology.