Key Facts:
- World Vision's 1,000 Girls campaign has more than doubled its target, with over 2,000 vulnerable girls sponsored by Australians in just a few weeks.
- Campaign ambassador Jelena Dokic, a former tennis champion and two-time Logie winner, has praised Australians for their extraordinary generosity despite cost-of-living pressures.
- Dokic travelled to Bangladesh with World Vision and witnessed firsthand the challenges facing vulnerable girls, including the threats of childhood marriage and pregnancy.
- The campaign concluded on International Day of the Girl (11 October), with Dokic emphasising that sponsoring a single girl can change her future by keeping her in school and providing for her basic needs.
- Dokic stressed that despite the campaign's success, the problem continues, with 12 million girls facing childhood marriage and pregnancy every year - one girl every three seconds.
Campaign ambassador Jelena Dokic says she's been overwhelmed by the generosity of Australians, despite tough economic times.
KEY AUDIO GRABS - JELENA DOKIC
GRAB 1: Australians double campaign target 00:51 - 01:06 "It's been amazing to have more than 2,000 girls now sponsored over the last couple of weeks during the campaign. And just to see the way that Australians have reacted to the campaign and the generosity as well." GRAB 2: Jelena thanks Australians 04:10 - 04:29 "I just want to say thank you to Australia, to every single Australian that's been able to sponsor a girl. It's just a massive, massive thank you, not just from me, but everyone at World Vision as well." GRAB 3: The life-changing impact of sponsorship 01:31 - 01.45 "Sponsoring a girl and if you're thinking to do it or if you're thinking how can I help by sponsoring one girl, it literally changes her future and it saves her life. It gives her the opportunity to stay in school. It gives her the opportunity to actually get an education."
GRAB 4: Campaign success, but the need continues 02:59 - 03:11 "We've exceeded the goal by more than double, which is great, especially going into the International Day of the Girl, which is the 11th of October. But the problem continues to be there. It doesn't stop." GRAB 5: An honour for Jelena to do her bit to help 00:00 - 00:15 "The International Day of the Girl is so incredibly important because of what we're trying to do, which is protect girls and protect women all across the world. And it's been an honour for me to be a part of this campaign to try and help." BACKGROUND World Vision's 1,000 Girls campaign aimed to find sponsors for 1,000 of the world's most vulnerable girls by International Day of the Girl on 11 October. Fronted by Jelena Dokic, the campaign has more than doubled its target, helping give girls greater opportunities for education, protection and a brighter future.
