Monday, September 16, 2013

Untie the Knot

(photo credit eivindw via photopin cc)
How young is too young for marriage? 21? 18? Certainly most would agree that 12 is way, way too young. Yet it's not all that rare for a preteen or early teen girl to be forced into marriage in Malawi, where nearly half of all girls in Malawi are wed by 18, and less than quarter finish elementary school.

Far away in Chicago's north suburbs, teen girl basketball players from the elite Full Package team decided to do their part to chip away at the situation, setting a fundraising goal of $30,000 to fight teen marriage in Malawi through the UN's GirlUp program. For a quick but personal look at the problem and how teens--and others--can be part of the solution, check out this video.