04.30.07

Did you know?

Posted in Uncategorized at 4:42 pm by nadia

For girls and women living in poverty, education is not only the key to a brighter future it is also a key to survival.

Using education as a primary strategy, the Girls’ & Women’s Education Initiative aims to harness the potential of girls and women to learn, lead and act on their vision of change for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Consider this:

• Women in Sub-Saharan Africa are more than 1.5 times as likely as men to contract HIV.
• Millions of women in America have difficulty understanding practical health information.
• More than 10,000 girls a day will get married before they turn 15.
• More than 60% of the 110 million children out of school are girls.
• One in three women and girls in the developing world live on less than $2 a day.

Educated girls and women are less vulnerable to HIV infection, human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, are more likely to marry later, raise fewer children who are more likely to go to school, and make important contributions to family income.

The Girls’ & Women’s Education Initiative will seed new initiatives and support the expansion of proven programs including:

• Integrated Health and Literacy: Girls and women learn about family health, the dangers of early marriage, and how to protect themselves from exploitation. As women learn practical skills, they increase their confidence and strengthen their support for each other, allowing them to more fully participate in decisions that affect their health and the well-being of their families and communities.
• Using Education to Combat Human Trafficking, Exploitation, and Child Labor: Education can increase girls’ and women’s life options through programs that combine practical literacy skills, health, and access to savings and credit with community awareness. Programs equip girls and women with skills and confidence and promote girls’ and women’s leadership in families, schools, and communities.
• Reducing Girls’ and Women’s Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS: Rates of HIV infection are growing at an alarming rate for girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa. Combining education, community awareness, and collaboration between women’s groups, health workers, and policy makers, programs raise the voices of girls and women who mobilize communities for change.
• Helping Women Go To College: Post-secondary education opens the door to the future for women and their families. Programs equip women with academic, math, English, financial, and practical skills they need to enter and succeed in college.

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