1. Educated women earn a higher income
2. Educated women have fewer children
3. Educated women provide better health care and education to their children
4. Each additional year of a girl’s education dramatically lowers her vulnerability to HIV
This season, why not give the gift of a girl’s education? Give a minimum $25 donation to any of 60 million girls’ three projects in Indonesia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and we will send the recipient a card with your message. Here is a brief recap of these three projects:
In partnership with War Child Canada, our 2012 project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) strives to increase educational participation and retention rates for female youth in South Kivu. In 2010, the DRC ranked 168 out of 169 countries on the Human Development Index, with 80% of the population living in extreme poverty. Because of the conflict in the region, 5.2 million children do not have access to formal education. The War Child Canada program not only offers education to girls and female youth, but also equips them with knowledge and skills which they can use to engage the community on issues such as sexual and gender-based violence, which is rampant in South Kivu, with 40 women sexually assaulted every day.
In partnership with the Stephen Lewis Foundation, our 2012 project in Uganda will provide primary education for 462 students (55% of them girls) who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. It will also provide, among other things, uniforms, textbooks, stationery and sanitary napkins; free basic healthcare to all students and their families; support for the school garden which supplies vegetables and fruits for school meal programs; and psychological support for the young girls and boys at Nyaka in dealing with their feelings of loss and grief.
In partnership with Handicap International, our 2012 project in Indonesia provides access to education to the most vulnerable and marginalized girls in Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB,) where handicapped girls face social stigmatization, discrimination due to their gender, and exclusion due to the fact that education for girls is not seen as a priority. This often results in a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem in handicapped boys and girls, which can put them at greater risk of violence, abuse, illness and exploitation. The project aims to send 398 handicapped children, 200 of which are girls, to school, to encourage them to stay in school and succeed. It will create and train groups of parents on the importance of access to education for girls, as well as groups of handicapped or non-handicapped children in developing leadership skills and boosting self-confidence.
To give the gift of education this holiday season, please contact: info@60milliongirls.org