World Vision says Australian sponsors more than doubled its 1,000 Girls target

World Vision Australia said its 1,000 Girls campaign had secured sponsorships for more than 2,000 girls by International Day of the Girl on October 11. The campaign sought sponsors for 1,000 girls by that date and was promoted by Australian tennis player and author Jelena Dokic, who visited World Vision programmes in Bangladesh.

The organisation described sponsorship as a way to support girls’ education, protection and basic needs through work with communities. The figure is World Vision’s campaign report, not an independently audited count or evidence that every sponsored girl has already received a particular service. The release also cited a global estimate of 12 million girls facing child marriage and pregnancy each year; that is a separate worldwide estimate, not a result of this campaign.