About

The Girl Up campaign was created by the United Nations Foundation to address the needs of adolescent girls in developing countries. By empowering youth in the U.S., Girl Up helps these underserved girls get educated, stay safe and accounted for and be positioned to be leaders. Currently, Girl Up supports programs in Liberia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Malawi, with more potential locations on the way. Rachel Wisthuff, a Grassroots Associate with the campaign, has helped organize Girl Up’s partnership with Electronic Recyclers International to donate gently used electronics for young women in need. Rebecca Ruvalcaba, a high school student, is President of one of Girl Up’s clubs in Southern California. She is tasked with helping to raise funds for Girl Up’s efforts and spread awareness amongst her peers. Girl Up currently has about 450 of these clubs across the globe. “Each year, we’ll get increasingly more clubs around the world, ” Wisthuff explains. “Being able to connect those clubs around the world — so that Rebecca’s club in Southern California can talk with a Girl Up club in South Africa — is what we’re really looking to do. We want to make sure that pathway of communication toward supporting girls is clear and ever-present.” Visit the Girl Up website. Rachel Wisthuff and Rebecca Ruvalcaba originally appeared on Green is Good on January 27, 2014.