You Can Sponsor a Girl with GFA World

Despite development and progress, gender inequality—especially in education—still affects many around the world, so choosing to sponsor a girl can make a big impact. Globally, about 129 million girls are not in school.[1] This includes 30 million girls of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. The reasons for this are numerous and vary between countries and communities. Their absence from school could be because of conflict, poverty, child marriage or gender-based violence. Often, poor families favor boys when investing in education. In some places, the schools fail to meet the safety, hygiene or sanitation needs of girls. In other areas, the teaching strategies are not gender-responsive, resulting in gaps between boys and girls in learning and developing skills.[2]

Failing to educate girls leads to many problems, including continuing the poverty cycle, child marriages and young motherhood.

A World Bank study of data from 15 sub-Saharan African countries showed that girls who marry young are significantly less likely to complete their educations, which lowers their future earning potential.[3] This ripples into the next generation as the children of young, uneducated mothers have lower education prospects for themselves, leading to more poverty. According to the study, each additional year of secondary school attendance substantially reduced the chance of girls being married before the age of 18.[4] Each year of secondary school attendance was also found to reduce the likelihood of girls giving birth before age 18, contributing to safer pregnancies and healthier newborns.[5]

Thus, as organizations work with people around the world to sponsor a girl, education is crucially important in changing these young lives. GFA World’s Child Sponsorship Program doesn’t stop there, though. Our program offers education support, but we also provide vital necessities according to the needs of the community like clean water, food, healthcare and hygiene training.[6] This type of assistance often takes financial pressure off a family, helping children to remain in school. When these needs are met, the girls and boys can dream of better futures for themselves and their families. Education opens many new opportunities that were closed before.


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