WePledge November Cause of the Month: Children

WePledge November Cause of the Month: Children

November 20: World Children’s Day

“Around the world, children are showing us their strength and leadership advocating for a more sustainable world for all. Let’s build on advances and re-commit to putting children first. For every child, every right.” -UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Last month, Twilio open-sourced our WePledge program to empower individuals and company employees to build positive change globally by committing 1% of their personal time or resources to do good. To accelerate the WePledge community’s impact, Twilio is donating $1 million USD from our donor advised fund to global nonprofit organizations. If you haven’t yet, join our WePledge movement and select one of ten nonprofits to receive a $100 donation from Twilio.

This November, the WePledge community is supporting children globally

To help you live your Pledge, we provide monthly inspiration and tips for doing good in support of the UN Sustainable Development goals. This November, we’re recognizing children around the world. November 20 is World Children's Day, promoting children’s rights, welfare and leadership. It’s also the anniversary of the date the United Nations adopted the Convention on children's rights. The Convention has mobilized governments to change laws to protect children, driven investments in healthcare and nutrition, and empowered youths’ voices in their societies.

However, millions of children are suffering from abuse, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Many childhoods are cut short when kids are forced to leave school, engage in dangerous work, get married, or put in adult prisons. The pandemic has made it even more difficult for children to access education, as schools pivot to remote learning and face extreme budget cuts. And climate change is putting the environment we know today at risk, endangering future generations.

Children are our future - and it’s critical that we invest in them. Supporting education is a high-impact way we can transform lives. It helps break intergenerational poverty and supports economic stability. UNESCO estimates that 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills—the equivalent of a 12 percent drop in world poverty.

As you live your 1% Pledge this month, consider investing in education for low-income children in the US and around the world. Here are a handful of organizations working to transform children’s lives for the better.

Ways to volunteer virtually:

• UPchieve (Global)
  UPchieve is an ed-tech nonprofit that connects low-income students with live academic support, available 24/7 from any device. Volunteers are needed to tutor in math, science, and college prep.
• Team Everest (Global)
  NGO based in Chennai, India serving nearly 40,000 kids from low-income backgrounds and creating access to better education. Volunteers can support their English program by creating a vocabulary worksheet.
• CareerVillage (Global)
  CareerVillage works with educators in low-income communities to connect middle and high school students to career advice from professionals.
• YearUp (USA)
  YearUp ensures that young students gain the skills, experience, and support that empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. Volunteers are needed for mock interviews on November 18th.
• Cards for Hospitalized Kids (USA)
  Channel your inner child or invite your kids and family to participate in making cards that will be distributed in hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation
• BitCamp (USA)
  BitCamp makes technical education accessible to everyone through fun, engaging open-source projects. You can volunteer as a mentor or contribute to an open-source software engineering curriculum.

Other organizations to consider:

• UNICEF works around the world to support quality learning for every girl and boy, especially those in greatest danger of being left behind.
• The Global Fund for Children partners with community-based organizations around the world to help children and youth reach their full potential and advance their rights.
• Days for Girls increases access to education and menstrual care by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilizing volunteers, and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigmas and limitations for women and girls.
• Girl Up was founded by the UN Foundation in 2010 as an initiative to help support UN agencies that focus on adolescent girls.

Take the Pledge Today

Are you ready to join the movement? Visit wepledge.org to sign up and learn more. The first 10,000 eligible individuals to sign up will have an opportunity to designate $100 to an organization helping to change the world for good.

We can’t wait to see the impact you build.