Every day, young women across the country are desperately struggling with debilitating life-controlling issues - usually more than one. Many of them have lost all hope of freedom. The situation is serious. Did you know that:

 

1 in 3 young women is sexually abused before age 18. (RAINN 2011)

 

1 in 5 young women struggles with an eating disorder. (National Institute of Mental Health 2010)

 

Studies find that between 17% and 40% of college students admit to committing self-harm and between 15% and 30% percent of high school students do. (ABC News Report--University of Mississippi 2011)

 

34% of girls in America get pregnant at least once before age 20. There are 750,000 teen pregnancies each year with 59% ending in birth. 82% of teen pregnancies are unplanned. (Guttmacher Institute 2011)

 

At least 100,000 American children are victims of child prostitution annually; some estimate the number is as high as 300,000. (Ernie Allen, from National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

 

For young people 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death. (CDC 2010)Nearly half the 19 million new STDs this year are among young people age 15-24 (CDC)

 

These hurting young women often spend years in and out of treatment centers, costing their families thousands of dollars. They are told over and over again that there is no hope for them and despair easily overtakes their lives. Girls are literally dying in darkness; lives need to be saved.

 

Grow A Girl Network purpose is to respond to the many needs facing our girls by providing a safe haven and not judgmental environment for our girls. We provide hope through the arts, wellness, and entrepreneurship (AWE).

 

According to the Governor’s Office for Children and Families each month two to five hundred girls are commercially sexually exploited throughout Georgia.