Invisible Girl Project

Programs: Raise awareness and create a movement to fight gendercide: according to the 2011 indian census, men outnumber women in indian society by nearly 40 million. This gender gap is due to gendercide (the systematic killing of females) through female feticide (sex-selective abortion) and female infanticide (the killing of baby girls). According to a 2006 unicef report, 7,000 fewer girls are born in india every day because they are aborted - just because they are girls - following illegal sex-determination tests. In addition, an unknown number of baby girls are murdered every day, also just because they are girls. Invisible girl project's mission is to end this gendercide in india. (continue to sch o)[continue from page 2 - program service accomplishment] igp believes that in order to save innocent lives of girls in india, people from the western world must recognize and help address the injustice of gendercide in india. Therefore, in effort to help "vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,"(psalm 10:18), igp mobilizes people in the united states to address gendercide by giving them program opportunities to travel and serve orphan girls in india. These trips are also a tool that igp uses to give each of the girls in its partner programs one-on-one time and attention, serving the purpose of showing each rescued girl her worth as an individual. In turn, individuals who have traveled to india with igp consistently become involved in the campaign to fight gendercide and create a movement for change.

care for vulnerable girls through child sponsorship: igp partners with indian organizations that care for unwanted or vulnerable, orphan girls through a child sponsorship program. Through this program, igp helps meet the financial needs of these organizations as they care for girls in a residential home setting. Igp's partners provide food, education, clothing, care and mental health support for young girls who may have otherwise been trafficked, ensalved or killed. Igp's partners also teach these girls that in spite of the discrimination against girls and women in the culture, they are all inherently valuable. They are encouraged to obtain higher educations and work to change the culture, themselves.

girl child rescue expansion project: an igp partner works in one of india's highest areas for female infanticide. Using research-based methodologies, igp's partner employs a team of social workers that travels into remote indian villages and identifies when families are at the greatest risk of committing female infanticide. This partner works closely with families identified as "high risk", provides prenatal care for those mothers and educates entire families on the value of girls as human beings. Their work helps to change the cultural mentality that girls are not valuable. Once a baby girl is born, igp's partner provides support to each family that keeps its baby girls. A monthly food "ration" (rice, lentils, spices) is provided to ensure the girls in the family are well-fed, and [continue to sch o][continue from page 2 - program service accomplishment] an interest-bearing savings account is opened in the baby girl's name, for her to use on expenses she has after the age of eighteen (not dowry). Parents are also encouraged to save for their daughter and invest in this account in the future. This program has been successful, with over 170 girls rescued from murder. Families and villagers now embrace their daughters in rural india, as the mentality toward girl children continues to change. And, because of this program's success, in 2013, igp's partner expanded its work into new villages to rescue even more baby girls and work to change a culture, one family at a time.

invisible girl project's staff members spend approximately fifty percent of their time working to develop and sustain projects to benefit the girls that the organization support. Additional funds are sent to indian organizations to provide employment to indian women that would otherwise not have jobs.