By Marissa Kokkoros | Project Leader
Dear Bikes & Rights supporters,
In December 2014 you generously contributed to our "Bikes and Rights for Girls in Nepal" campaign on Global Giving. Thank you.
Although our goal was $30,000 CAD, we only raised around $3,000 CAD. But...we weren't discouraged. In true warrior fashion, we will continue forward on our journey to increase education for young girls in the developing world and decrease child marriage. Besides, the campaign isn't over yet...there is still time to raise more.
Last year, we performed a study of two districts in Mid-Western Nepal where child marriage and gender-based violence is particularly high - Surkhet and Banke. Through interviews and focus groups with villagers, we identified the barriers girls face in attending school and avoiding a life of violence and inequality. We identified those barriers as: the long and unsafe commute to school, violence and harassment met along the way to school, and gender inequality which fostered a difficult and oppressive environment for girls in the area. Quite simply, we found that these communities do not consider important for girls who will soon be married off and seen solely as child bearers and wives. Son preference was also rampant.
From this research came the birth of Bikes & Rights, a project which will provide disadvantaged girls in Mid-Western Nepal with safe bicycles for quick and secure transportation to school, while providing them with powerful mentorship and their parents with human rights awareness sessions that will break the cycle of violence and enhance their freedom and dignity.
YOU helped us kick-start this campaign, and for this we are forever grateful. Although we need more funding to fully implement the program, we have already begun planning for the preliminary implementation of Bikes & Rights with our partners in Nepal. Therefore, your contributions will go a VERY long way in more detailed design of this innovative project which will change the lives of many hopeful girls with dreams of becoming more than just a servant and womb.
Thank you for believing in the human rights of girls everywhere, and their potential to contribute to this world in profound ways.
Sincerely,
Marissa Kokkoros - Founder
Aura Freedom International
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