'One Girl' charity gains from a negative remark

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Craigburn Primary School in South Australia is one of a number of schools which raises funds each year to support girls’ education in Africa. This year students and teachers were invited to wear a dress or casual clothes, just for the day, and to pay a dollar or two for the privilege. The school hoped to raise around $900 for the One Girl charity. In developing countries, a girl’s uniform is a symbol of opportunity and empowerment. However Cory Bernardi, a South Australian senator known for his deeply conservative views has inadvertently raised that amount to almost $250,000 by tweeting about the school supporting ‘gender morphing’. Australians will soon be voting on the same-sex marriage issue and Bernardi has been very outspoken about his opinions. The backlash to the comment has seen dozens donating to the course. The ‘One Girl’ website had a 5,000% increase in traffic on one day and crashed a few times. A growing number of schools has been taking part in the campaign over the six years it has been running. A spokesperson for One Girl said $300 would educate one girl for one year so the increased funding has been very welcome. It’s strange sometimes how things turn out.