“My parents say it’s not good to send girls to school,” says one young girl(10) from Benin. For another ten-year-old girl in Ethiopia, housework is all she has to look forward to. “I do all the housework, my brother just eats and goes out to play”.
Education key to fighting poverty
Compared to boys, girls are less likely to survive, go to school, be healthy and find a good job. Plan UK believes that educating girls is the key to reducing poverty and inequality. Here are some of the reasons why:
• girls of educated mothers are more likely to live beyond five years old;
• an extra year of primary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10-20 per cent;
• educating young women gives them the skills to generate an income. This can lift a whole family out of poverty thereby benefiting entire communities and generations to come.
Yet more than 40 million girls are out of school worldwide. A large proportion of these girls live in countries affected by war:
How you can help
NUS is supporting Plan UK’s campaign, Because I am a Girl, which aims to empower the world’s poorest girls to combat the discrimination they face everyday. This campaign focuses on getting girls into school in order to create more equal societies and break the cycle of poverty.
Students can help the campaign by lobbying for education for girls in countries affected by war. Send an email to Gordon Brown and ask him to make sure that girls have access to safe, quality education.
Students can also join our facebook and myspace page. Because I am a Girl looks forward to your support.
For further information visit the Because I am a Girl website.