Day 8: Send a Girl to School in Africa

Today, I found an organization that helps African girls receive proper educations. The Campaign for Female Education fights poverty and AIDS in rural communities in Africa by educating girls and empowering women to become leaders of change.

According to Camfed, "when you educate a girl in Africa, everything changes. She'll be three times less likely to get HIV/AIDS, earn 25 percent more income and have a smaller, healthier family." Everyone knows that in almost all instances, it's better if you have an education, and this information from Camfed shows that an education is even more important for girls in Africa. According to the Hunger Site, "poverty forces many girls in Sub-Saharan Africa to drop out of school before they gain the knowledge and skills they need to improve their future life options. This problem is greatest in rural areas. The girls and their parents know the importance of education, but cannot afford the costs of school uniforms, tuition fees, and school supplies." Clearly, these girls are yearning for an education, to make their lives better, but obviously, it's not as easy as just working hard; it has a lot to do with being more fortunate than others.

Personally, I used to think that an education was a right, and even though I still believe this, I know that an education is impossible to receive for many children around the world. Hearing about how much these children want to be educated makes me feel sorry for complaining about any schoolwork that I'm assigned at all; these girls would do absolutely anything to go to school, and they would work hard and do well in their studies, but for them, it isn't that simple.

Please consider donating. $10 provides one girl with a year's supply of notebooks, pens and pencils, to support her learning and build towards a better life. $25 outfits one girl with sturdy shoes for school, protecting her feet for the long walk to and from school, giving her the opportunity to learn and build a better life. $40 outfits one girl with school clothes, also serving to invigorate the local economy as many of the uniforms Camfed buys are made by local women's cooperatives. $75 provides a three-month scholarship, giving one girl everything she needs--from uniform to school to supplies to athletic and exam fees--to attend school for three months. $150 provides a six-month scholarship. To donate, please click here.

Think about it: is an education really a privilege?