Sponsor a Girl: Education Is Key

For many little girls in the United States and wealthier countries, when asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, it was assumed they would receive an education and go on to find an occupation they loved. Yet, in certain parts of the world, a girl is far from guaranteed an education. She waits and hopes for a sponsor. A girl’s education path is not the norm in many developing countries.

Worldwide, approximately 169 million girls are out of school. Of this number, 32 million are primary school age, 30 million are lower-secondary age, and 67 million are upper-secondary age.[1] Though the reasons for this are varied, the results are often the same: ongoing poverty, gender-based violence, human trafficking and child marriage.

“Despite substantial progress over the last two decades, girls still have on average lower levels of educational attainment than boys in many countries, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels,” noted a joint report published by the Global Partnership for Education.[2] “Low educational attainment affects girls’ life trajectories’ in many ways. Girls dropping out of school early are more likely to marry or have children early, before they may be physically and emotionally ready to become wives and mothers. This may affect their own health. It may also affect that of their children,” the report revealed.

For a girl, child education might begin, but when her family is faced with difficult financial decisions, a male sibling’s education is often put first. UNICEF reports that with the investment in the education of a girl, child marriage drops significantly.[3]

Making sure girls are educated results in these benefits[4]:
  • The lifetime earnings of girls dramatically increases
  • National growth rates rise
  • Child marriage rates decline
  • Child mortality rates fall
  • Maternal mortality rates fall
  • Child stunting drops
Girls’ education in South Asia has been recognized as a needing improvement. So much so that in August 2009, one country’s parliament had passed the landmark Right to Education Act which made education free and compulsory for children between the ages 6 and 14. For a time, this helped get more girls into school, even if it didn’t keep them there.[5]

Barriers unaddressed by laws include cultural expectations, major safety concerns, hygiene issues and more. Those around the girls must be diligent to make sure girls make it into school, continue school, and finish school as the they will likely fight an uphill battle the whole way.


Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs in Gospel for Asia.Net

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Do I Need to Know about the Global Poverty Rate?

Image
Statisticians are getting better at measuring the global poverty rate every year. The World Bank is one group working hard to accurately measure it so that the extent of the problem is fully known and so that progress can be measured. [1] Through governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we can more clearly see the last decade of progress and the most recent effects driving poverty rates. Sub-Saharan Africa has been one area difficult to measure, but new data shows an overall reduction in the percentage of those in poverty. Unfortunately, there is an increase in total number of people living at or below the official poverty rate of $1.90 per day. [2] That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. With good statistics and a clear view of the problem, countries and organizations can use the proven methods to regain any ground lost. Additionally, valuable lessons have been learned about how to protect the most vulnerable and how to prevent some of the worst effects. GFA World is un...
Read more

Generational Poverty: A Cycle Not Worth Repeating

Image
The cycle of generational poverty can seem impossible to break. Children inherit what their parents teach and show them. a joint report from Ascend: The Aspen Institute and Bernard van Leer Foundation affirms this. “What young children learn from the adults who raise and care for them lays the foundation for future social, emotional, language, and cognitive growth,” the report says. 1 Children raised in a generational poverty mindset often lack the tools they need to succeed or achieve a better life than that of their parents. As adults, these individuals often then raise their children in poverty similar to that of their own childhoods, and the cycle perpetuates. It’s a cycle not worth repeating, yet it does time and time again. For the 736 million people worldwide living below the poverty line, earning $1.90 a day or less, the focus is frequently on mere survival. 2 Children are disproportionately affected by extreme poverty, says UNICEF, as “children who grow up impoverished often...
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e...
Read more