“We believe adolescent girls are the most powerful catalysts for change on the planet,” wrote UN Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin and Nike Foundation President & CEO Maria Eitel in a piece that appeared on the Guardian website this week.

The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is something to celebrate, especially because it includes language that makes ending child marriage in developing countries a U.S. foreign policy priority.

Today is a day I will never forget. Today, I witnessed history that affects the lives of women & girls everywhere.

I would have never expected to be in the presence of such amazing global advocates in my entire life, let alone at such an early age!

Thanks to a women's empowerment program sponsored in part by CARE, Nana, a marginalized young bride in Georgia was able to secure her legal rights and take an active role in her life decisions.

Mukeshwari was able to override her family's decision for an early arranged marriage and continue her education. With her village Thuadabri and her CARE mentor Parwathi behind her, Mukeshwari has a chance for a better future.

Tino participates in CARE's Healthy Unions program, a project that promotes the human rights of girls and women by decreasing the harmful traditions of bride abduction, bride price and early marriage in Ethiopia.

Yeshi-Alem was forced to marry when she was 10 years. Now at 18, she's been married nearly half her life to her husband Moges, who is believed to be 28.

Just picture it now: your headshot on the front page of The New York Times, with a bolded headline that reads: “Local Activist Inspires Her Community to Change the World.”

An important step in motivating people to raise their voices against child marriage is to educate them about the issue.  Here are some things you might not have known about child marriage.

In Liberia people do not treat beaches clean. What I don’t like about my environment is that my neighbors toilet and troll dirt here and there around the beaches.

This blogs series introduces the creative works of a few of the 95 girls currently enrolled in Girls United - Liberia

Breaking news: We are one step closer to ending child marriage!

This blogs series introduces the creative works of a few of the 95 girls currently enrolled in Girls United - Liberia

Every war tests the resiliency of its victims. A very few walk away stronger, redefining both victimhood and valor.

Last week we had the honor of hosting another event in Atlanta at the home of Ted Turner, the founder and chairman of the United Nations Foundation.

It starts with one voice. I speak up and while, I won’t be ignored, combining my voice with yours will make our calls stronger. Your representative in Washington listens. 

We’re still feeling the southern hospitality after hosting Unite for Girls in Atlanta last week. Hundreds of teens walked away moved by stories from their peers around the world and ready to take action.

In the time it takes me to run two miles, bake a batch of cookies, or watch a quarter of basketball, a girl has been robbed of her childhood and is married, more likely to an older man.

I know a girl named Kidan from Ethiopia. Like so many girls around the world, she has dreams and aspirations. She wants to be a doctor one day. But Kidan is at a crossroads; there is a key obstacle standing in her way. Do you know what that is?

Thanks to all the girls who attended the Century of the Girl Expo in Philadelphia, hosted by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. More than 800 people visited Girl Up’s booth at the event this past weekend!

This week Girl Up Director Gina Reiss-Wilchins is attending the Global Philanthropy Forum. This conference aims to build a community of donors and social investors who committed to international causes. Check out her question to Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, about child marriage!

Teen Advisor Olivia writes about her experience delivering the Stop Child Marriage petition signatures to the White House with Girl Up on July 18th, 2011!

I’m on the ground in Addis, Ethiopia, for a meeting with The Elders, a group of global leaders who meet to discuss solutions to the most pressing problems facing the world. This week, we’ve been talking about creating a Global Alliance to End Child Marriage – more to come on that later. First, I wanted to share an important story that I heard that really explains what Girl Up and its partners are working towards in the fight to stop child marriage...

This post is originally authored by Jennifer Redner on IHCR.org.

For the last two days, I have been participating in a strategy planning meeting to explore creating a global alliance to end child marriage. More than 70 participants from approximately 20 countries, from the UK to Cameroon to Bangladesh, have converged on Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to share research, programs, and advocacy efforts underway to end child marriage.