Did you know…?

• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• There are about 72 million children around the world who are not enrolled in primary school. Of the children in school, 100 million will be forced to drop out before completing primary school.

So why education?

It is a known fact that any country wishing to achieve a level of “development” and economic growth must first have at least 40% of its adult population literate, as each year of education after primary school increases a person’s income 15 to 20%. Therefore, the more education one is exposed to, the more income one will receive. The more income one receives, the better one can support his or her family. In turn, this will boost the overall economy as a stable family will be able to afford other commodities and thereby give income to other families. It is for this reason that education is often touted as the panacea for poverty, but of course poverty is never so simple.

So….what is the problem?

Although all children in the world are entitled to receive an education, it is also a fact that 90 million of them do not. Obstacles impeding children from obtaining this basic right include child labor, war & conflict, disabilities & other health predicaments, gender discrimination, fees, and the substandard quality of many schools and teachers. Child labor alone robs at least 218 million children between the ages 5-14 each year from an education.

The world’s response

To deal with the first obstacle of child labor, international agreements have been passed to forbid its practice:

In an effort to increase primary school attendance, the Convention on the Rights of a Child declared in 1989 that any fees for primary education should be abolished. The results were astounding. When Burundi abolished their school fees, 500,000 more children showed up to enroll. When Kenya abolished their fees, school enrolment also shot up from 5.2 million children to an unbelievable 7.2 million.

Three regions-East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Central Asia-all look ready to achieve universal primary education by 2015, but sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Oceania are all certain to fall short of this goal if present circumstances persist.

Now it’s your turn…TAKE ACTION!

There are many ways in which you can help!

Furnish a Library

Help collect books for the sister teams of Girls Helping Girls! Many other international sites have young girls who are eager to learn the English language! Help us help them as we encourage their love for reading by hosting book drives at your local school or library. Primary level books (ages K-5) are preferred, but chapter books are also welcome for our domestic sites!

Back to School Supply Drive!

When August comes to a close and September is rolling around, many of your local department stores are just brimming with back-to-school goody sales! Take advantage of this opportune moment and launch a drive much like the one previously listed for books.

Become a mentor

Volunteer with a local agency in your community or organize a program at your school or community center to tutor struggling students in their school subjects.

TAKE ACTION TO INCREASE ACCESS TO EDUCATION!

Sources:

www.netaid.org

www.campaignforeducationusa.org/regionaloverview

issues.takingitglobal.org/education