Illiterate, uneducated girls are among the most vulnerable when it comes to human trafficking. They're lured with false promises of jobs, then forced into sex slavery. American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia's Girls Be Ambitious program aims to prevent rural girls in Cambodia from being trafficked by recruiting girls to attend school. The biggest obstacles: rural girls often have to stay at home to take care of younger siblings or to help their parents in the field. The Girls Be Ambitious program aims to change that by giving families a financial incentive of $10 if their daughters achieve perfect school attendance each month. It places a serious emphasis on education, gives girls a sense of self-worth—and provides enough for parents to hire substitutes to fill their daughters' chores. Peer-to-Peer Match: $120 helps keep a girl in school for one year; The Spud will match the first $120 donation received by Friday. Donate directly via PayPal to Girls Be Ambitious founder Bernard Krisher at bernie@media.mit.edu; then email Krisher and cc thespudorg@gmail.com referencing the match. The Spud thanks Thomas Chadefaux for sponsoring this challenge. UPDATE: This challenge has closed. Photo credit: American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia
