According to UNICEF, 1 in 5 women worldwide is married before her 18th birthday. South Asia accounts for more than 285 million early marriages, 44% of the world total. In India, 15,648,000 women were married before the age of 18.
The project presented here by Un Enfant Par La Main (UEPLM), in partnership with ChildFund India, aims at empowering 1,000 girls from marginalized communities to thrive, without the risk of early marriage, by having equal access to education, life skills and livelihood opportunities as their male counterparts.
The project is taking place in the state of Rajasthan, where an estimated 47-51% of women were married before the age of 18. The state has the highest prevalence of early marriage in India, as well as high gender disparities in access to secondary and higher education.
The association’s exclusive purpose is assistance and charity. Its aim is to help disadvantaged children to become autonomous and responsible adults through a pragmatic, global and sustainable approach to development, centered on education. UEPLM thus contributes to actions aimed at improving the living conditions of families in its countries of intervention.
