Friday July 3, from 11:00 in the Conference Center of Expo Milano 2015, saw the first part of the Save The Children event titled“Starting from girls: they are the source to trigger a change!”, part of the WE-Women For Expo, program of events – in collaboration with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and with the Arnoldo and Alberto Mondadori Foundation – focused on the basic theme of worldwide empowerment for teenage girls.Among the main speakers wereClaudio Tesauro(President of Save the Children Italia),Jasmine Whitbread(CEO of Save the Children International),Marta Dassù(Executive President WE - Women for EXPO),Albina Assis Pereira Africano(President of the EXPO Steering Committee and Commissioner General of the Angolan Pavilion at EXPO Milano 2015),Rose Sakala(a student from Malawi) andMary Shawa(First Secretary of the Malawi’s Ministry of Equal Opportunities, Children, Disabilities and Social Security).

 

Investing in schooling for teenagers is fundamental for improving their lives

 

Claudio Tesauroopened the proceedings, welcoming and thanking those present: “Why are we here today to talk about teenage girls?”, asked thePresident of Save the Children Italia. “Because we want to help them to grow with more and fairer support, so that they can achieve a better education and a better standard of living. We have here the example of Rose, who will address us shortly. Rose is from Malawi, and she is studying Agricultural Economics. What we have to do is ensure that girls like her stop being invisible and win recognition for themselves. The aim of today’s meeting is to stimulate discussion and find the right strategies for investing in this project.”

 

Great enthusiasm was also shown byMarta Dassù, who spoke next: “This is a fascinating Universal Exhibition which is often erroneously seen as being mainly about global cookery. On the contrary, this is a gigantic initiative focused on developing solutions for some of the world’s most important problems. Today I received some marvelous news from a colleague: yesterday the UN approved a resolution prohibiting child marriage. An encouragement to us, to continue to work for more girls going to school… and staying there until they finish.”

 

Governments must invest in young women and help them to use their power and potential to improve the planet

 

Women represent 43 percent of the rural workforce, and in many countries they are responsible for feeding entire communities.President Albina Africano, in her speech, focused on the situation in Africa, where women are an integral part of political life in many states, including Liberia, Angola and Rwanda. Moving and lucid the contribution ofRose Sakala, who described her experience as a student of Agricultural Economics and the social situation in Malawi regarding girls’ schooling: “80 percent of our country’s agricultural workers are women, and most of them became mothers before coming of age.Save the Childrenhas been operating inMalawisince 1983, focusing on various programs on prevention, education and health, but also on projects supporting loans and reinvestment for young women. In a way, I represent all the young women in developing countries who are managing to study: we have to put pressure on governments to invest more in us, in all girls and their abilities and potentials.”