“In some parts of the world, students are going to school every day. It’s their normal life. But in another part of the world, we are starving for education… it’s like a precious gift. It’s like a diamond.” – Malala Yousafzai
Fa’atou is a lot like any other fourteen year old girl. She goes to school, plays with her friends and on her school’s netball team. Her biggest dream is to attend University someday, visit America, and become a teacher. But, at the same time Fa’aou lives in Bua, the poorest province of Fiji, this means that her small Primary school is one of the least funded by the government. The best teachers choose to teach in the cities which leaves the poorest teachers to be assigned to her school.
She probably won’t be able to attend secondary school because of a 150 Fijian Dollar (75 US Dollar) per semester fee that most villagers can’t afford. This means that she won’t be able to attend university and fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. Fa’atou is just one of thousands of girls around the world who have similar dreams. They dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, and nurses. But most of these girls cannot fulfill these dreams because of obstacles many of us cannot imagine.
This being said, Fa’atou is still incredibly lucky. She is not one of the over 57 million children in the world that do not attend primary school. Because she has an eighth grade level education she is six times less likely to get married before she is 18, which will help decrease infant mortality and pregnancy death rates in her country. She will also have fewer children than the average non-educated girl, which means she can invest more in the health and in the education of the children that she does have. Each year of school she has attended will increase her learning power by 10 to 20 percent. If she earns an income she will reinvest 90% to her family. While a man typically will only reinvest 30 to 40 percent. When you invest in the education of a girl you are not only helping her. You are investing in generations.
In Malawi many girls are not given the opportunity or are forced to drop out of school because of issues such as; child marriage, pregnancy, HIV/Aids, having to support family, cost of school supplies, cost of travel, the list goes on and on. According to the Civil Society Coalition for Quality Basic Education (CSCQBE), as little as 40% of students in Malawi complete primary school, first through eighth grades. Dropout rates for girls are still much higher than boys.
In 1994 school became free dramatically increasing the number of students annually attending. With a shortage of teachers, especially female teachers, class sizes are overwhelming. Rachel Williams writes about the struggles of education in Malawi in the online newspaper, The Gaurdian. Williams says “Chikowa Primary School had 1,271 pupils in January. Of these, 485 were in standard one. Standard two had fewer than half that, at 204. And standard eight had just 24 – only six of them girls. Zainabu Malenya is one of them. “From standard two to standard four my parents tried to make me stay at home to look after my siblings,” she says. “I just persevered. But when I got home I’d find there was no food left for me.”’
Education for girls in these rural countries is very rare, but the good that it provides for these girls, their families, and communities is unrivaled. We can help make a difference by spreading the word about education. By promoting education and its importance in our own communities, we show others that they also need to understand the importance of education.
Together we can help girls like Zainabu and Fa’atou fulfill their dreams, and provide more girls with the ability to dream big. Eleanor Rosevelt once said “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This is so true when we help these girls to realize what they can achieve, we will change the world!
About the Author
Audrey Penrod is currently a student at Utah Valley University, where she is majoring in education and international studies
References: Compassion Blog
Main picture: Urunji Child-Care Trust giving school bags to sponsored girls in Nathenje, Malawi.
