Less than a hundred years ago, my grandma won her middle school regional girls athletics competition in B.C. There was a trophy for the first place boy but not the first place girl, so her dad had one made, knowing she would win it. She was the first place girl, as expected, but the organizers refused to give her the trophy and gave it to the second place boy instead. Luckily, my grandma lived long enough to see many of her granddaughters granted trophies for their athletic efforts, in both the U.S. and Canada.
Some girls and women in other countries, however, are not so lucky. Almost 750 million women and girls alive today were married off before their 18th birthday. Out of the 130 million out-of-school youth, 70% are girls. If we eliminate the barriers that keep girls out of the classroom, girls around the world will, statistically, marry later, have fewer children, earn more money (of which they tend to reinvest 90% into their families) and thus break the cycle of poverty, leading to their daughters AND their sons growing up with less malnutrition and more hope for a decent future.
I’ve seen with my own eyes people suffering in absolute poverty, in both Brazil and Ecuador. It’s out there. It’s real. When 10% more of its girls go to school, a country’s GOP increases an average of 3%.
When we educate girls around the world, everyone benefits.
