Successfully sending volunteers abroad for 10 years
Wednesday of this week was International Day of the Girl Child, as marked by the UN. The aim of the day is to highlight the needs and challenges girls around the world face, while promoting their empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
To honour the day, development organisation One released a list of the 10 toughest places for a girl to get an education. This list placed war-torn South Sudan as the number one toughest country for girls to get an education above mainly African countries (Central African Republic, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Burkino Faso to name a few). According to the report, a staggering 73% of girls in South Sudan do not even go to primary school. And South Sudan’s government spends just 2.6% of its total budget on education, meaning even girls that do go to school may still receive poor teaching and learn little.
The list was written to identify places where girls’ education needs to become top priority and are based on factors such as pupil-teacher ratios, the proportion of girls competing primary school, public spending on education, and female literacy rate.
As the report points out, educating girls can change the world.
Girls who receive complete and quality education are more likely to be healthier and better prepared to succeed in the workforce. Education equips girls with more opportunities to advocate for their own rights, contribute to their families and communities, and grow local and global economies.
At Agape, we believe in the power of education as a force for improving lives and benefiting communities in a myriad of ways both short and long-term. With the remaining revenue from volunteer fees we fund various school and education projects, for example in Kenya which neighbours South Sudan and has received thousands of Sudanese refugees over the past few decades.
If you’re interested in promoting education in Africa, why not get directly involved and check out our volunteer teaching placements in Kenya or Tanzania.
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Why Africa Needs Volunteers
By Mikey
