I, like many other dads of girls, happily slap “#GirlDad” on the bottom of our Instagram posts.

Is there anything we wouldn’t do for our children?

What if, us dads, did a better job in not only being a dad for our own children, but for the millions of children in need.

Please hear me out- this isn’t masculinity overload, expecting that I, or we, could step into some horrific situations and save those in need. Whenever we have tried this before in human history, we tend to make an even bigger mess of things.

Rather, this is an awareness and an invitation to ponder- to see the world, and our role in it- with greater responsibility.

This is the risky part as a writer. I know I am about to lose you, sharing some overwhelming and almost incomprehensible facts.

Stay with me…(skim a few if that is all you have the bandwidth for- I get it, trust me).

• As of 2022, 333 million children are living in extreme poverty (surviving on less than $2.15 per day).
• Worldwide, nearly 130 million girls are not enrolled in formal education, and more than half of them are in crisis-affected countries. 
• UNICEF reports that of the 130 million, 32 million are of primary school age, 30 million are of lower-secondary school age, and 67 million are of upper-secondary school age.
• In countries affected by conflict, girls are more than twice as likely to be out of school than girls living in non-affected countries. One example is in Afghanistan as girls are no longer even allowed to attend secondary school and higher learning.

As is often the case, justice issues often intersect. For example:

• Girls who have no education are three times as likely to marry by age 18.

• 80 percent of people displaced by climate emergencies are female.

• 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school every year.

Look to migration and armed conflict, and know that countless women and girls will face violence, trauma, and struggle in ways that many of us cannot even imagine.

Just imagine how much these numbers have increased over the past year with increased wars, violence, loss of home, and starvation.

So what is there to do.

Or as St. Vincent de Paul was asked when overwhelmed by poverty and suffering, “What must be done?”

First, let’s avoid judgment. Remember, political leaders keep their power (and flow of wealth) by dividing us.

Second, be open to learning. After a year of working with NGOs at the UN, the number one lesson learned is the more I know, the more I realize I don’t even have a clue. Learning occurs not in text books or websites, but from listening directly to those most impacted by injustice.

Third, look local. Where are those children in need in your own communities. Instead of assuming to know the answer, or to come in on your metaphorical white horse, simply ask what is needed, and quietly respond with love and generosity of time and treasure.

Fourth, look global. As you learn more, find ways to advocate and encourage those in positions of power to care and to act.

A colleague shared with me and another man last summer, that until men speak up about the injustices of our world, nothing will change.

I believe there is some truth to this, but it is our effort together-as a collective community- that will improve the injustices that so many face.

Yet, at the same time, I do wonder, and begin to agree more by the day, that with whatever privilege I may have (and there is plenty), I have not only a role to play, but a significant responsibility.

I love my children, as I know you love yours. As the cries of those in need gains in volume, might we join our collective hearts and better respond with a limitless and unconditional love that leads to action and change.