Too many of the world's girls are in terrible trouble.

That's why we're launching a series of articles by a team of top reporters who are traveling all over the globe to see the lives behind the headlines. We'll be telling the stories of children struggling to triumph over poverty, prejudice, disease and violent conflict—and of the heroic people successfully battling to save them.

In future issues, you'll learn about girls as young as five sold into prostitution in Cambodia, and the woman who's risking death to rescue them. You'll meet a Colombian teenager who escaped from a guerrilla army of child soldiers. You'll discover how a girl could be pressured into strapping on explosives, convinced—until the last moment—that martyrdom as a suicide bomber was her destiny. The series was inspired by a conversation with ABC News correspondent Cynthia McFadden. When we asked her what her dream assignment would be, she answered, "A report card on the world's children." What could be a better mission?
Get Involved
This month we learned the burdens of the foster care system in the United States. Children in foster care around the country could use your help. Start with these resources:

• Camp to Belong reunites foster brothers and sisters through camps and other programs. To volunteer, donate or start a camp in your area, call 303-791-0915 (camptobelong.org).
• Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service prevents children in New York City's poorest areas from being taken out of their homes by working with families at risk. Volunteers and donations are needed. Call 718-310-5624 or e-mail info@bbcs.org (bbcs.org).
• The Child Welfare League of America can hook you up with one of its more than 1,000 programs that serve children nationwide. Call 202-942-0244 (cwla.org).