June 2010, I got my monthly Glamour magazine in the mail and started thumbing through. I stopped when I saw a picture of Ivanka Trump and Elizabeth Gore – two women I admire greatly. They were together to discuss their passion for girls, saving the lives of girls around the world, to be more exact, through Girl Up; Elizabeth as the head of the UN Foundation program and Ivanka as her powerful partner. I was so moved by their passion and optimism, I ripped the page right out of the magazine and put it in my inspiration binder. I’ve carried that editorial with me every day for a year, trying several times to contact both women to share their message with you, but I never got through.
That was until I attended a conference a few weeks back and right before me was Elizabeth Gore. She didn’t stand a chance, I was coming for her; I had been waiting to share Girl Up with you, my fabulous readers. She graciously agreed (incredible woman, she exudes a spirit of confidence and kindness). Exactly one year later I’m so pleased to share my inspiration with you, fully manifested in my conversation with Elizabeth Gore – it was worth the wait.
FINDING & FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION
SG: Many HerExchange readers are stepping into the space in their lives where they are defining and deciding how to pursue their passion. How did it happen for you?
EG: My family has always been involved in service and being the first one in my family to get to go to college, I felt indebted to give back as much as possible.
In college [Texas A&M], I’d met several women that had to drop out of school because they were having babies and couldn’t go to school without child care facilities so I got really involved with trying to build a children’s center. I really focused on this issue and helped get it passed by the students and the President of the University. Then I helped raise money for the project, got volunteers to help build it and watched it open. I loved being a part of the process from beginning to end. I thought, “Wow, there are careers based on things like this.” That of set my path and I really got passionate.
After I’d been in my career [at Points of Light Foundation] for about eight years, I decided to go into the Peace Corps. I was
in Bolivia for just over two years. People need to know that service is a strong career path, not just something that is “the right thing to do.”
A WORLD VIEW
SG: How did having the international vantage shape how you see the U.S.?
EG: We are very lucky to live in this country. We have a lot of issues in this country, but man, it is nothing compared to the other places I’ve been around the world. I believe, because we are lucky, it is important that the United States give back through appropriations on international issues, through our work with the State Department, our members of the U.N. and as individuals.
You don’t have to join the Peace Corps, but you can donate as little as $5 or $10 to save lives. However you choose to give back, we have that responsibility and privilege.
NOTHING BUT NETS
SG: You run an amazing program called Nothing But Nets, focused on combating malaria. Why is it so important for us to pay attention and get involved?
EG: Malaria is still the largest preventable disease killer of children in Africa; there are 10 new cases of malaria every second. Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from a malaria infection. Malaria is a disease caused by the blood parasite Plasmodium, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.
It’s a highly preventable disease and we don’t have a vaccine, but because these mosquitoes are nocturnal and they only bite at night, a very simple bed net that children can sleep under can save a life. A bed net costs $10 dollars to purchase, distribute, and then educate people on its proper use. For $10 you are saving the lives of probably 3 or 4 people who will sleep together under the same net.
We have already reduced Malaria by fifty percent in 11 countries – huge progress. But, we have a long way to go.
EMPOWERED
SG: What’s so great about Nothing But Nets and Girl Up is that it feels very manageable for the average person; reasonable amount of money that makes a real, tangible difference. That kind of giving is empowering!
EG: Exactly! We need to give people the opportunity to give back in easy ways. People are busy! There’s a lot going on in this country and there’s a lot of need as well so we need to focus on making things fast, actionable, but also with absolute integrity. It is our commitment to ensure that every one of those dollars is spent in that way.
WHERE THERE’S A GIRL, THERE’S A WAY
SG: You also lead Girl Up, dedicated to improving the lives of girls around the world. This issue is close to
your heart, why?
EG: While I was distributing bed nets all over the continent of Africa, I was really taken by girls. You know, girls are extremely marginalized, much more than boys. What I found, and love, is that girls in every country are really so much alike, they have very different issues facing them based on their home country, but every girl wants to play, thinks boys are smelly (laughs)… they are just like girls here in the U.S.! So we created a way to connect girls around the world through Girl Up.
Girl Up focuses on providing comprehensive care for a girl, ensuring she is educated, she has access to health, she has access to water, she is counted, and she has leadership potential.
Within Girl Up, we created a movement called “High Five” where one girl can impact other girls around the world in a very special way. A High Five is a $5 donation. With their donation we are providing prevention of child marriage, healthcare and access to school. One in seven girls is married globally before the age of 15. And in countries like Ethiopia, most are betrothed by five years old – it’s inexcusable. Globally 1 in 4 girls are sexually assaulted before the age of fifteen.
SG: Finish this sentence for me, “Dear Reader, You should care about girls around the world because…”
EG: By donating $5.00, you can change the world for a girl.
We all have the ability, the responsibility and the opportunity and the absolute pleasure of helping each other. I just don’t think there’s any more rewarding thing that we could do.
Your challenge?? GET INVOLVED. A little goes a LONG way. Give a High Five to change the destiny of a girls life. Then, spread the message. Send an email to 5 people telling them about Girl Up and ask them to do the same. OH, we have such an amazing amount of power when we come together – let’s go!
“Where there’s a girl, there’s a way.”
Be that way.
-Stephanie Goetsch, June 2011
