I just broke it to Greenleigh and Hazeline that there’s no school tomorrow. As much as you’d think they’d be thrilled, they weren’t…because they love school. Absolutely love it. And it’s not just about seeing their friends, they genuinely seem to enjoy the things they learn each day. Every day they come home and eagerly present to us the handwriting, math, and art that they’ve completed during their school day.
But the fact is, my girls aren’t that unusual. Lots of young girls around the world are hungry to learn, but unlike my girls, many of them aren’t given the opportunity to go to school. In the world’s poorest countries, many children who want to go to school face barriers like finances, distance, gender discrimination, societal pressure to marry, or, like Jennifer in Ghana, they must do household chores including walking several hours a day to fetch water for their families.
Unfortunately, when these girls don’t get an education, they’re sentenced to a life of poverty and poor health. Research shows that women in these countries earn 10-20% more for every year of school completed and children of educated mothers are two times as likely to go to school. Furthermore, children born to literate moms are 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5. Simply put, education makes a difference and can break the cycle of poverty.
While some of the barriers to education may seem huge, CARE.org has been working to get more girls educated in these poor countries each year. By working with parents, community leaders, and their local governments, CARE.org is able to remove some of the barriers and empower the girls and their families to help themselves. By taking this approach, CARE.org is getting millions of girls educated each year!
Want to get involved? Think you might be able to help girls who are hungry to learn but might be facing barriers to their education? Be sure to check out the CARE.org website to find the easy ways that you can help, including making a donation on the CARE education gift catalog page. As little as $10 makes all the difference! Want to give a bit more? Just $38 can buy school uniforms for 2 girls!
