SEATTLE — Bono, with Irish rock band U2, has sold more than 157 million albums and has won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys. Alongside these musical accolades, Bono is a well-known activist who cofounded ONE, a global campaign and advocacy organization that focuses on ending extreme poverty.
Around the world, 130 million girls are deprived of receiving the education they need in order to escape the poverty that tragically distresses their country. In honor of International Women’s Day, ONE created a cyber campaign with agency Dorga5 called #GirlsCount, a user-generated film intended to raise awareness of the girls’ education crisis and demand access to education for all girls.
In promoting this online movement, the ONE campaign’s website asks people to choose a number between one and 130 million, then film or photograph themselves saying, singing or depicting that number, truly illustrating the effect of this crisis.
These videos and photos will then be used to create the world’s longest user-generated film that will hopefully persuade world leaders to make the necessary changes in order to alleviate this education crisis.
In making this small investment, it will grant these girls the right and benefit of receiving the education necessary to impact the world socially and politically, saving more than a million lives and adding more than $100 billion dollars to the global economy each year.
On International Women’s Day, activists from across the globe joined the fight by presenting themselves at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City to hand over an open letter from ONE to advocate for putting women and girls at the forefront of the UN’s campaign to end global extreme poverty by the year 2030.
The letter was signed by more than 340,000 people – including Beyoncé, Meryl Streep and Justin Trudeau. By simply visiting the ONE campaign’s website, choosing a number, uploading a video or photo and posting it on social media channels, it brings attention to the girls’ education crisis and improves the possibility of a fair chance at a brighter future for 130 million girls worldwide.
– Brandon Johnson
Photo: Flickr