The Elders Foundation

The Elders are a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering, and promote the shared interests of humanity. The organization is committed to promoting equality between women and men, girls and boys, in all aspects of life. In that context, they are focusing on the harmful practice of child marriage, which prevents millions of girls from realizing their full potential and impedes the development of their communities and societies as a whole. Last year, the Elders began to forge a global civil society alliance, Girls Not Brides, to create a world without child marriage, with the intention of strengthening the many organizations already working on this issue in geographical areas where it is prevalent. They are reaching out to grassroots and international activists, as well as community and religious leaders working for change.