"250 million adolescent girls live in poverty. They are the most powerful force for change on the planet" Girl Effect 2014.
Here in the Unites States, we do not value education as the true privilege that it is to much of the developing world. Although the girls in our classrooms do not face hardships in their communities and lives such as punishment for education or exclusion from obtaining an education, education-no matter where it is being offered-has an immense impact on poverty. Success in school leads to a lower drop-out rate, delayed pregnancies and marriage, and better opportunities for employment i.e. income and advancement in our society. In my classroom for example, every student comes from a two-parent household where both parents work. Education is valued and expected in my school community. Child-bearing did not begin for the families at my school until after college, thus by the time students are in first grade, parents are past the age of thirty. The expectations for girls in my classroom are high. Their families expect them to be both academically successfully as well as successful in the arts and in sports, creating well-rounded personalities. These ideals are very different to the lives of a handful of young girls around the world whom my graduate class was introduced to through the film Girl Rising. Recognizing these values in my school community helps me to see that communities like mine would truly be ideal places to spread awareness of campaigns such as Girl Rising and organizations like it.
Recently, my Diversity in Education class viewed the film, Girl Rising on our school campus. This film focused on the quest for an education for girls around the world. Through storytelling, the audience meets young girls in their homes, neighborhoods, and cities to learn the true struggles they face in their cultures and the obstacles that keep them from attending school. Two-thirds of the world's uneducated children are girls, and two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults are women (Educating Girls Matters 2014). The Girl Rising campaign focuses on the simple fact that educating girls around the world can break the cycles of poverty. As the audience meets these young girls in various countries, they are prompted to help support this campaign as millions of girls face barriers to education that boys do not.
But how in 2014 are adolescent girls still missing out on basic educational opportunities? Why do girls, specifically, need our time, energy, and money? The Girl Effect organization answers these questions in three solid points: Girls are agents of change, people assume girls are being reached, and the cost of girls is high. By delaying child marriage and teen pregnancy, issues such HIV and AIDS are avoided. In addition, programs out there currently focus on children aged 0-5 years old or focus on women, missing this crucial age range in a girl's life. Lastly, the numbers do not lie. Check out these facts from the Girl Effect's website: "In India, adolescent pregnancy results in nearly $10billion in lost potential income. In Uganda, 85 per cent of girls leave school early, resulting in $10billion in lost potential earnings. By delaying child marriage and early birth for one million girls, Bangladesh could potentially add $69billion to the national income over these girls' lifetimes (2014)".
There are even more reasons to invest in girls educations world-wide. According to Educating Girls Matters, educating girls has astounding impacts on developing stable economies around the world:
Here in the Unites States, we do not value education as the true privilege that it is to much of the developing world. Although the girls in our classrooms do not face hardships in their communities and lives such as punishment for education or exclusion from obtaining an education, education-no matter where it is being offered-has an immense impact on poverty. Success in school leads to a lower drop-out rate, delayed pregnancies and marriage, and better opportunities for employment i.e. income and advancement in our society. In my classroom for example, every student comes from a two-parent household where both parents work. Education is valued and expected in my school community. Child-bearing did not begin for the families at my school until after college, thus by the time students are in first grade, parents are past the age of thirty. The expectations for girls in my classroom are high. Their families expect them to be both academically successfully as well as successful in the arts and in sports, creating well-rounded personalities. These ideals are very different to the lives of a handful of young girls around the world whom my graduate class was introduced to through the film Girl Rising. Recognizing these values in my school community helps me to see that communities like mine would truly be ideal places to spread awareness of campaigns such as Girl Rising and organizations like it.
Recently, my Diversity in Education class viewed the film, Girl Rising on our school campus. This film focused on the quest for an education for girls around the world. Through storytelling, the audience meets young girls in their homes, neighborhoods, and cities to learn the true struggles they face in their cultures and the obstacles that keep them from attending school. Two-thirds of the world's uneducated children are girls, and two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults are women (Educating Girls Matters 2014). The Girl Rising campaign focuses on the simple fact that educating girls around the world can break the cycles of poverty. As the audience meets these young girls in various countries, they are prompted to help support this campaign as millions of girls face barriers to education that boys do not.
But how in 2014 are adolescent girls still missing out on basic educational opportunities? Why do girls, specifically, need our time, energy, and money? The Girl Effect organization answers these questions in three solid points: Girls are agents of change, people assume girls are being reached, and the cost of girls is high. By delaying child marriage and teen pregnancy, issues such HIV and AIDS are avoided. In addition, programs out there currently focus on children aged 0-5 years old or focus on women, missing this crucial age range in a girl's life. Lastly, the numbers do not lie. Check out these facts from the Girl Effect's website: "In India, adolescent pregnancy results in nearly $10billion in lost potential income. In Uganda, 85 per cent of girls leave school early, resulting in $10billion in lost potential earnings. By delaying child marriage and early birth for one million girls, Bangladesh could potentially add $69billion to the national income over these girls' lifetimes (2014)".
There are even more reasons to invest in girls educations world-wide. According to Educating Girls Matters, educating girls has astounding impacts on developing stable economies around the world:
- Reduction of child and maternal mortality
- Improvement of child nutrition and health
- Lower birth rates
- Enhancement of women's domestic role and their political participation
- Improvement of the economic productivity and growth
Although Girl Rising has become the most recognizable campaign project thanks to their partnership with college campuses, businesses, and community outreaches, other organizations are fighting for the same rights for girls in developing countries. UNICEF, Educating Girls Matters, the Girl Effect, and TARA all work towards changing the world through educating its girls through: spreading awareness, providing scholarships, providing camps, sponsoring children, and collecting donations. The video below from the TARA project is a great example of how little [financially] it takes to provide an education to a girl an how large an impact it creates-not just on the child and local community, but on the global economy.
Currently, the Girl Rising campaign has received more than $2.1 million in donations. By partnering with educators and campuses around the Unites States, the awareness of the affect of poverty has on a girl's education is rising through their efforts. I invite you to view their Blog to learn more about success stories happening now around the world as they post on the Girl Rising Blog. Every child has a right to attend school and the right to an education, and these stories are just as inspiring as the film itself!
References:
Educating Girls Matters. (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.educatinggirlsmatters.org/
Girl Effect. (2014). Retrieved from: www.girleffect.org
Ten Times Ten LLC and Vulcan Productions, Inc. (2014). Girl Rising. Retrieved from: http://girlrising.com/about-us/
[The Power of One Video]. Retrieved March 23, 2014 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddb9W43_07Q
