Every girl is born with dignity, possesses the inherent rights of all humans, and ought to be assured the unique rights of childhood to enable them to reach their potential as an individual, as a woman, and as a member of society. When the value of girls is recognized, when their needs are met, and their voices amplified, girls contribute to positive change in their families, local communities, nations, and the world. In the following excerpt, adapted from the book Aguchita: Mercy and Justice, we read Sister Corazón Inmaculado Málaga’s recollection of how Aguchita valued the girls she was responsible for and acted to ensure their range of needs were met.
She was a real mother to our girls in formation, always encouraging them. She was concerned that they should eat healthy and flavorsome food. When she saw that vegetables were scarce, she would go to the market and buy everything she needed for the girls. She was attentive to all their physical and emotional needs.
The Congregational Position Paper on the girl-child specifically supports gender-responsive budgeting to allocate monies for their physical, reproductive, and mental health. In addition, the Paper identifies that the denial of nutrition is a specific form of violence that besets the girl-child – a form of violence that Aguchita challenged in her life and ministry. How do you seek to end the specific forms of violence against girls detailed in the Position Paper in your life and ministry?