Around the world, girls and women continue to suffer from a lack of economic opportunity, inadequate health care, unequal access to education, early marriage, sexual violence, and discrimination. It is to tackle these problems that we have made education for girls and young women a priority.
Why girls' education?
We know from numerous studies that educating women and girls brings with it a string of benefits – not just for the individual but for society and the economy generally. These include:
- Reduction of child and maternal mortality
- Improvement of child nutrition and health
- Enhancement of women's political participation
- Protection of girls from HIV/AIDS, abuse, and exploitation
- Higher incomes: One more year of secondary school beyond the mean boosts future earnings with a generally higher increase for girls than for boys
- Faster economic growth: Education for men or women leads to economic growth.
- Food Security: expanded female education results in better farming practices, which can help to reduce malnutrition
- Lower birth rates
Despite the list of benefits and the quality of the evidence in support of expanding access to education for girls and young women, there are deeply held traditions that have prevented them from enjoying access to education. That is why some of our biggest projects are specifically focused on increasing access for them at all levels, from increasing enrolment at primary schools to enabling them to access higher education.
Our current programmes specifically focusing on Girls’ Education include:
“A girl getting an education learns more than reading and arithmetic. She learns that she is important. She stands up for her rights. She goes after her dreams.” - Anon
Girls Education South Sudan 2 (GESS2)
GESS2 aims to transform the lives of a generation of children in South Sudan through breaking down the barriers to education, whether these barriers are cultural, financial, or quality. Read more to find out how we do this.