Bringing an Issue to Light

Making the dream of education a possibility for the girls of Sub-Saharan Africa, and all around the world.

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Why this Issue is Important to Me.

Education matters to me. All my life I have had the privilege of being able to go to school. In fact, for me there really was no other option. I had never truly realized before how many other girls out there did not have the same opportunity as me. We often take for granted our education, and the support many women have surrounding it. What I want people to understand is the tremendous difference an education can make in the life of an impoverished girl. I also found it important to put a special emphasis on education in Africa, because of the severity and commonality of large uneducated female populations. Girls really do run the world and it is our job as global citizens to look out for our sisters, mothers, nieces, and aunts across the globe that face these struggles for equality every day.

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Investing in girls’ education is the very best thing we can do, not just for our daughters and granddaughters, but for their families, their communities, and their countries.

Michelle Obama

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Addressing the Inequality

As a global society we must examine what we value and what we see as worth investing in. Though no large or lasting impact has yet been made on the educational crisis that affects so many African girls and women, it is never a waste to try and better the conditions of living for others. Because poverty and gender inequality have such a close relationship, working to resolve one issue will likely improve the state of the other. From a logistical standpoint, it would be more beneficial (as well as realistic) to provide educational opportunities to all the girls and young women in Africa than to fund and implement dozens of poverty reduction programs. Though dramatic wage gaps exist in the vast majority of African countries, a woman with an education has the possibility of making substantially more money than a woman without any schooling at all. In turn, said woman could provide more for her family and hence be independent and not reliant on institutions nor men for financial support. An education would mean so much more for these girls than just being knowledgeable and having skills, it could mean freedom.

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Through organizations such as Child Fund International, you can sponsor a child in the country of your choice. Not only can you help them succeed financially, you can also support them through letters, updates, and even visits! Sponsor a disadvantaged girl today!

https://www.childfund.org/sponsorkids/

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If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.

African Proverb

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What Keeps Girls from Education

For the few lucky enough to have access to a school and its resources, many females struggle with issues associated with poor African schools. A 2013 study of Zambian schools done by The Texas Journal of Women and the Law,suggests that that for many girls getting to school is only half the battle. The case study found a pattern of discrimination of females within various Zambian schools. Even within the learning environment, the ideal that women have no place in being educated or independent is still enforced. The study even found claims of sexual harassment of young girls, bought on by male teachers. Some of which even included teachers asking sexual favors of young, school-age girls. Other, less sinister obstacles also stand in the way of girls getting an education. Many Sub Saharan classrooms are filled to capacity with under-prepared, and unsupported students. Everything gets written on a hardly legible chalkboard and sanitary restrooms are typically off the table. Threatening conditions inside and outside the classroom make it difficult for girls to gain access to a quality education in so many villages.

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Women in Ghana and Bangladesh speak out on the importance of education for women in their countries.

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Spread this hashtag far and wide!

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Making Education a Priority

It is a common practice for females to be pulled from school, starting around the age of 12 in many Sub Saharan countries. According to a Global Monitoring Report through UNESCO, “Of the 18 countries with fewer than 90 girls for every 100 boys enrolled, 13 are in sub-Saharan Africa. There are 16.7 million girls out of school in sub-Saharan Africa, 9.3 million of which will never set foot in a classroom.” For many young girls, impending responsibilities of marriage and motherhood prevent them from pursing academic achievement. Long respected cultural traditions tend to keep these girls from reaching their potential as intelligent individuals. However, as long as men are dominating education as well as the majority of jobs in Sub Saharan Africa, economic conditions will not improve. Only by getting those 16.7 million girls access to adequate schools and social mobility will many African countries be able to pull themselves from poverty.

[globalimprovementgal-blog]

Why This Issue is Important to Me.

Education matters to me. All my life I have had the privilege of being able to go to school. In fact, for me there really was no other option. I had never truly realized before how many other girls out there did not have the same opportunity as me. We often take for granted our education, and the support many women have surrounding it. What I want people to understand is the tremendous difference an education can make in the life of an impoverished girl. I also found it important to put a special emphasis on education in Africa, because of the severity and commonality of large uneducated female populations. Girls really do run the world and it is our job as global citizens to look out for our sisters, mothers, nieces, and aunts across the globe that face these struggles for equality every day.

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The numbers speak volumes to the cause.

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The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change our lives.

Malala Yousafzai

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Check out these alarming stats provided by UNESCO. Africa accounts for a large portion of the disparity. Time for a change.

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African Initiatives is an organization based out of England that promotes and enables the education of women. They supply impoverished girls with what they need to be successful in school, as well as later in life. This is truly an attention worthy cause.

http://www.african-initiatives.org.uk/where-we-work/case-studies/girlseducation/

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If you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation.

African Proverb

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Intro to a Global Issue.

The bus comes at 7:35 AM, the bell rings at 8 AM, and class is started by 8:10. Lunch happens at 11:30, recess at 12, and by 2:15 the buses depart to take the children home again. To almost all kids across the united states, a schedule like this feels both familiar and mundane. In fact, some are so well versed in the daily ritual of getting up and going to school that, the notion of it all has become something of a chore. The girls of South Sudan however, do not have the luxury of referring to their education as a chore. Considering only 33% of girls in this country attend school on a regular basis, the idea of school is only a distant dream for most. As unfair as it may seem, this is the reality for thousands of other young girls around the world.