“Let us pick up our books and our pens — they are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
Malala Yousafzai made this powerful statement in a speech given to the UN last year on her 16th birthday. Yesterday she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
A lack of education is a plague that steals your confidence, closes doors of opportunity, humiliates you, traps you in low-paying manual labor jobs, sinks you into poverty, cheats you, and prevents you from traveling.
176 million Indian women experience this plague. Every. Single. Day.
Many girls in India grow up being told they are unwanted or a burden simply because of their gender. And being illiterate puts them at an even greater disadvantage, vulnerable to being cheated by dishonest moneylenders, shopkeepers, and employers.
Literacy is the first step towards freedom, self-confidence, and a brighter future.
As one of our ministry partners in India says, “Literacy is a small tool, but makes a big impact. Like dynamite.”
“We can make 2015 a turning point for girls across the world,” said the author of an article about educating girls posted last week in the New York Times.
As we enter into the last three weeks of 2014, will you join us in prayer that 2015 is a year that brings more educational opportunities for girls in India?