Girls’ Education

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Access to education is fundamental in the fight against poverty.

Yet millions of women and girls living in developing world do not have access to this basic right. Women make up two-thirds of the estimated 876 million adults worldwide who cannot read or write, and girls make up 60 percent of the 77 million children not attending primary school.

There are numerous reasons why girls are not given access to learning: the inability to pay for mandatory uniforms, cultural beliefs that girls’ education is frivolous, or even a need for girls to work to support their family.

But time and time again, we are shown the importance of education as a driver of development. The World Bank estimates that nations in South Asia and Africa lose up to one percent of their per capita income a year compared to countries where children have greater access to quality education.

Women who are educated delay their first pregnancies, have healthier children and are far more likely to send their own children to school. For every extra year a girl spends in school, she raises her family income by up to 20 percent.* And according the United Nations Population Fund, each additional year of schooling a woman has is associated with a 5 to 10 percent decline in child deaths.

This is why CARE is working to open schools that teach girls everything from science to business, while preparing them to lead a new generation and helping train women to have the skills they need to build better lives for themselves, their families and community.

By giving girls and women access to education in parts of the world where it has traditionally been denied, we can help unleash their potential.

Now is the time for action. You can help many more girls and women around the world gain access to quality education and transform their lives. You can make a real difference.

She has the power to change her world. You have the power to help her do it

Make a donation to CARE today!

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*Statistic provided by The World Bank.