We all know how important education is to the quality of lives. But what are we doing about it?
Because we are I am so locked into education for women around the world, and a life-long educator myself, I decided to check on the most recent statistics on who, what, why and how we are educating women and the measurement of how it’s improving their economic stability and general quality of life not only for themselves, but for their families and communities. So I came across this article from Forbes Magazine.
“a mere 14% of women in the low-income category graduate from secondary school. And the upper-to-middle income category, numbers peak at 57%. Overall, 122 million African people do not finish secondary school and more than half of them are female.”
Allison Gutterman, author of the Forbes Magazine article, It’s Time to Get Serious About Educating Women Around the World, points out that we, as women, have a special responsibility to address women’s education around the globe. And I concur. In my own world, I’ve always know education is the key. And as we support the women at our Women Like Us Center by providing educational opportunities and skill training, I see the difference it is making.
We’re only one little center in Kenya, and even with the daily grind of keeping teachers, finding funds and keeping the women in classes when their lives are so tumultuous at home, we know we can do this. For me, I MUST do this! Not for only the women at our center, but also the women down the road, the girls around the corner, the daughters of the woman who couldn’t even thread a needle when she first walked into our sewing classes because they are learning that if their mother can learn and rise, so can she. And with that, lives are impacted. The world is ultimately impacted.
I’m glad we do what we do. And I’m glad to know other women who believe like many of us, that when we come together and make a dent in the future of a woman, we make a dent in the future of the global economy.
It’s like the starfish story – We may not be able to throw back in the ocean all the starfish that wash up on the beach after the storm. But we can make a difference to some – one at a time. And that can make all the difference.
