Girls Education

"If we are to have real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with children" Ghandi
Education is an exceptional means of bringing about personal development and building relationships among individuals, groups and nations. An educated citizen is more likely to embrace values that are shared by the global community.

Our goal is to help educate caring and responsible citizens who are respectful of human dignity, different cultures, and equal rights that promote a civil society in Afghanistan. We envision Afghan children who have access to quality education and healthcare to help them mature as individuals with the will and capability of bringing stability and prosperity to Afghanistan and to the world.

One of the most tragic consequences of more than 20 years of conflict is the utter destruction of the Afghan educational system. Today, the vast majority of Afghan children are illiterate, two-thirds of the schools are damaged or destroyed, and there are virtually no textbooks or teacher-training programs available. The result is that two out of three boys and nine out of ten girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of even a basic primary education.

Currently, there are over 4.5 million school aged children, but lack of school buildings, books, and qualified teachers are the obstacles that prevent over three million children from attending school. According to the survey done by Asian Development Bank in July 2002:
-- Over 92% of primary school-aged girls cannot read or write
-- 71% of children are not enrolled in school
-- An estimated 80% of school buildings have been damaged or destroyed
-- The current student/teacher ratio is 200:1

For Afghanistan to reach a modest 85% enrollment rates, over 43,000 teachers must be recruited and trained and almost 14,000 schools constructed in equipped with textbooks and supplies
We are dedicated to help create a vibrant Afghan education system, and as Afghanistan begins to rebuild, we will build, literally from the ground up, schools in the underserved areas of the country. The challenge is daunting - and we are committed to succeeding.

Let's Save Girls from Early Marriage
ANJU MALHOTRA & SHARON HAUSER

Patuma, an 11-year-old girl in Malawi, made headlines recently in her local newspaper when she ran away from a 40-year-old man her grandmother was forcing her to marry. The story reported that her grandmother, determined to have the marriage consummated, locked the little girl in the man's bedroom and stood guard outside overnight.

Patuma (not her actual name) sought refuge with the local social welfare department, which wants to prosecute the man for defilement of a juvenile. This legal action is progress in Malawi, a southern African nation where an astounding 44 percent of girls between 15 and 19 are married off. The girl told the newspaper she ran away because she simply wanted to stay in school. The social welfare department is holding her in hopes of granting that wish.

Worldwide, 51 million girls between 15 and 19 are married, most because of deep poverty and lack of opportunity. Over the next decade, that number will double to 100 million girls. While most common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, child marriage also occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Many families see marriage as a safe and protective place for girls. But the opposite is usually the case. Preteen girls — not emotionally or physically ready for marriage — are especially at risk. Marriage generally ensures that their education stops, that they remain poor and are likely to experience serious health complications, particularly in pregnancy and childbirth. The work of International Center for Research for Women in India suggests that girls married young are also more likely to experience domestic violence. Young brides often have no money of their own and little control over decisions that affect their daily lives. Other research in Kenya and Zambia shows young married girls may be more at risk of HIV and AIDS than unmarried girls.

Child marriage generally means early pregnancy, when the risk of death for both mother and child is much higher. Some young brides experience obstructed labor and obstetric fistula, a tearing of the vagina, bladder and/or rectum during childbirth. This causes uncontrollable leakage of urine and feces, which deems many married girls to be considered "unclean" and shunned or abandoned by their husbands and communities.

Save the Children is working with young mothers in Malawi to make childbirth safer. Although fistula is preventable and requires a simple surgical procedure to fix, the United Nations estimates that more than 2 million girls and women in the developing world live with this condition.

International nongovernmental organizations are working with governments, religious groups and others on ways to curb this devastating practice.

Here's where Hoosiers can make a difference. Congress is considering legislation, the International Child Marriage Prevention and Protection Act, to help girls like Patuma. It would make smart investments to bolster educational and economic opportunities for girls and their families and would also expand access to life-saving health services for married and unmarried girls worldwide.

By urging Congress to support this bill, people could help millions of girls like Patuma to stay in school, escape a life of poverty and give future generations their best chance to survive and prosper.
Dr. Malhotra is a group director for the International Center for Research on Women. Hauser, an Indianapolis native, is program manager for Save the Children in Malawi.

When Girls Are Educated...

Why girls don't go to school

Poverty and discrimination remain huge barriers to girls' education in many parts of the world. When families struggle to find the money for school fees, uniforms and books, girls are the ones most likely to miss out since they are often required to stay at home to help earn money or look after younger siblings. Girls are also deprived of education when the school environment is hostile to them (when they fear violence and intimidation in the classroom by male teachers and pupils, for example); when schools are located at a distance parents believe is too far for girls to travel safely; or when school facilities are designed in ways that girls find unacceptable (for instance, when they lack separate toilets for boys and girls).

Improve the quality of education to keep girls in school at the primary level.

The quality of education has suffered in countries where rapidly rising numbers of children have overwhelmed teachers, infrastructure and critical supplies like textbooks. Dropout rates are highest in the early grades, pointing to a crisis of quality in early primary education. Girls are more likely than boys to be withdrawn from school if the quality is poor or parents think their children are not learning, because parents want girls to help out at home. Improving school quality for girls will strengthen the benefits of school for society as a whole. Positive gender dynamics in classrooms give girls and boys ber self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and courage to explore and create. Girls develop self-confidence, skills and a vision of earning an income, later marriage and a smaller family.

Girls'education is a proven and powerful investment in the well-being of present and future generations of children.

Education empowers girls today and saves children's lives tomorrow. The more time girls spend in school, the more likely they are to grow up to be mothers who are healthy, well-nourished, economically empowered and resourceful when it comes to the health and education of their children. These women have fewer children, healthier pregnancies and safer deliveries. Their babies are more likely to survive childbirth, the vulnerable first month of life and the critical first five years – laying the foundation for healthy and more productive lives. Schooling for girls helps reduce the incidence of AIDS and lessens the likelihood that mothers will infect their babies with HIV at birth by giving girls and women the knowledge and self confidence to protect themselves and their children.

Girls' education leads to increases in income, both for individuals and for nations as a whole. It also helps promote democracy and civic participation by women, which often results in policy changes that contribute to better health, education and the protection of children. And in emergency situations – such as earthquakes, floods and armed conflict – education for girls plays a useful role in protecting against some of the worst forms of suffering and abuse.

Expand girls' secondary school opportunities.

Primary education is essential for girls, but should not be the ultimate goal. Every additional year of girls' education strengthens their ability to delay marriage, to earn more, to improve their health and self esteem. Looking ahead to secondary school is an incentive for girls to attend and perform well in primary school, and reassures families that their investments will pay off. Secondary school opportunities must expand for countries to reap the full benefits of female education for national development and individual well-being.

Engage men and civic groups with shared interests as advocates for girls' education.

Women and men have worked together to bring girls into school. Women do not hold the majority of national legislative seats in any government, so partnerships with men of vision have been key to the successes achieved to date. Similarly, in homes around the world, while women's commitment to support their daughters' education is critical, fathers also play significant and decisive roles in their daughters' education. Fathers often have the final word on sending their daughters to school or delaying their daughters' marriages. And since violence and the threat of violence is one of the most significant obstacles to girls' safe arrival at school and to their safety while learning, it is essential that the men in every community agree on and enforce social norms that condemn violence and sexual exploitation of girls. The effects of girls' education on reduced population growth, economic productivity and the health of a nation mean that there are many potential partners for advocacy, from national AIDS committees to commercial enterprises looking for a competent workforce. Locally, nationally and internationally these groups with shared interests should be enlisted to promote girls' education.

Fuel for economic growth and greater investments in children

Research consistently shows that economic growth is fueled when all children, but especially girls, attend school. During the 1990s, the nations of the world formally recognized that no country had emerged from third world status without educating its citizens, and that girls' education is bly associated with increased economic productivity. Access to education helps girls to gain the knowledge and skills needed to earn a livelihood, and to have fewer children, giving families greater capacity to care for the children they do have, and to save money. This savings provides new capital needed for economic growth. It is estimated that a 1 percent increase in female education would increase the average level of GDP by 0.37 percent (by increasing the number of women working and saving money). Two separate education-related factors can be harmful to economic growth: low levels of female enrollment in school and differences between boys and girls in school enrollment (gender imbalance). Societies that have a preference for not investing in girls can pay a price for it in terms of slower growth and reduced income.

A boost for democracy and civic participation

Where children, both girls and boys, have access to basic education, countries are more likely to embrace democratic practices. Civil society groups – such as farmers' cooperatives, parent associations and women's self-help groups – are also more likely to flourish and act as partners with government for social improvement and economic development. When girls' education rates rise and women participate more in civic groups and political decision-making, they tend to support changes that contribute to better health, education and protections for children. In 1999, a 100-country study found that educating girls and reducing the gender gap tend to promote democracy. It concluded that “expanded educational opportunities for females goes along with a social structure that is generally more participatory and, hence, more receptive to democracy.” Educated girls grow up to be literate women who are better prepared to make informed political choices. Education also gives them the self-confidence they need to engage in political discussion and to influence decisions. A study in Bangladesh found that educated women are three times as likely as illiterate women to participate in political meetings. And in Nepal, almost half of rural women who completed a nine-month literacy course said that they would be confident about expressing their views to the community, compared with only 4 percent of non-literate women.

Educate Girls Today and Create Lasting Change for the Next Generation
When Girls Are Educated...

• They delay marriage
• They have skills for negotiating family spacing and contraceptive use with partners
• There is lower maternal incidence of HIV/AIDS and lower transmission of virus to infants
• Mothers get proper prenatal care
• There are fewer low-birth weight babies and healthier newborns
• There are higher survival rates for children
• Families are smaller (as need for “replacement children” to offset expected child deaths falls)
• Mothers have child care knowledge and self confidence needed to bring children to clinics
• Mothers have more access to information and resources needed for proper child nutrition

When Girls Are Educated...

• Mothers have knowledge and skills needed to earn a livelihood
• Mothers gain economic status
• More income leads to more tax revenue for investment in schools
• Mothers control proportionately more household income
• Fewer children and more income increases money available to invest in each child
• Mothers allocate funds needed to educate children (e.g., uniforms, books, supplies)
• Mothers allocate funds needed to keep children healthy (e.g., vaccinations, clinic visits, medications)

When Girls Are Educated...

• Mothers have experience with school elections, discussion, debate and respect for others
• Mothers have self-confidence to participate in community improvement groups such as PTAs
• Mothers have experience, skills and disposition needed for working with others to advance common interests
• Mothers have knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for informed political participation
• There is greater political power for low-wage earners who can better advance demands for education and health services
• There is greater government responsiveness to needs of non-elite groups
  

When Girls Are Educated...

• Proper prenatal care and nutrition lead to fewer learning defects
• Children are more likely to get pre-primary education and other services
• Children are more likely to get intellectual stimulation at home
• Children enroll in primary school at proper time
• Children are more likely to get homework help from mother
• Children are better prepared to benefit from instruction
• Children remain in school longer
• Children are less likely to be absent due to illness or labor force participation
• Mothers improve schooling quality through participation in parent-teacher associations (PTAs) and other means
• Mothers provide resources needed to stay in school (uniforms, texts, school supplies)
  

Excerpts from girls' education: www.savethechildren.org