Archive for category: Education

Information and stories on education.

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Quality education with Gyan Shala Institutions

gyan shalaEducation is the key. According to the World Bank, “education promotes employment and earnings,” which consequently affects health and helps with poverty reduction. On a larger scale, this enables the country to experience long-term economic growth, innovation, strengthened institutions and better social cohesion. In countries experiencing population and economic growth, such as India, it is therefore critical to invest in education, to make sure that economic gains are translated into better education for all; which could then lead to a self-reinforcing mechanism by which a more educated population could help lift certain areas of the country out of poverty.

Education in India

India ranks 121st out of 163 countries on the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index Rank. The fourth SDG is quality education – which consists in ensuring “inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. In this domain, challenges do remain and progress is stagnating. There is an obvious disparity between the quality of education offered in private and municipal schools.

Moreover, although India is reaching its target of universal coverage, an absurd amount of children leave school before grade five and studies revealed that most of them had a hard time reading in their own first language. Down the line, they would quickly revert back to illiteracy; which would maintain approximately half the Indian adult population as illiterate in 2025-2030. In other words, there has been some progress in quantity, but not quality.

Gyan Shala

Gyan Shala schools are one of the largest non-governmental school education programs for the poor in India. It covers programs from elementary school, which is free; to middle school and high school education, which take minimal charges.

The NGO tries to reduce disparities between low-income and high-income families. It fulfills this mission by offering high-quality education in urban slums at a low cost, effectively closing the educational gap between the rich and poor in India. To save on costs, the organization keeps its infrastructure minimal and typically rents spaces for 25 students on average.

Social Impact

The organization works in across nine districts and four states and counts more than 45,000 students. On top of that, they have also reached more than 600,000 government school students by providing assistance to 7,300 government schools. Its Affordable Private Schools (APS) model has permitted the organization to offer education at a cost five to 10 times lower than other elite Indian schools. Overall, they have reached hundreds of thousands of children, who have proven to obtain marks 100% to 150% higher than their counterparts in government schools. Students’ gains in learning outcomes have also proven to be 25% to 65% higher.

On top of that the organization wishes to persist, the organization resists, as seen in its annual report for 2021-2022; it reiterates its vision, which is to “become one of India’s most effective NGO programs to address the schooling quality gaps and help India improve its ranking in social development indicators.” Not all heroes wear capes.

– Alexandra Piat
Photo: Flickr

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Educational Support for Orphans in Lesotho

Orphans in LesothoThere are more than 13.8 million children globally between 0-17 years who have lost their parents to AIDS. Lesotho has a high prevalence of HIV/AIDs. This disease has rendered a lot of children orphans leaving more than 200,0000 orphans in Lesotho. As a result of this, orphans are unable to return to school but rather work or beg for survival. Educational support for orphans in Lesotho is important as this allows them to have better chances in life.

Disadvantages of Orphans in Lesotho

Many orphaned children take the roles of their parents in heading households and finding a source of food to survive rather than studying. Also, due to the absence of parental care, some orphans develop behavioral problems.

Orphans, when taken to live with other people often end up in poor living conditions such as poor hygiene, poor nutrition and lack of school materials. This ends up impacting negatively their education and calls for concern.

Although orphans may find it difficult to enroll themselves in school, basic education is necessary. Pre-primary education can yield high returns but despite this fact, little funding from the national budget goes toward education in some countries. In Lesotho, the educational budget was less than 1% some years back.

Educational Initiatives for Orphans in Lesotho

Free access to pre-primary education for every child is Sustainable Development Goal 4.2. In Lesotho, primary education was made free and compulsory in 2010 for all children 6 to 13 years of age. Also, a number of programs aimed at protecting the rights of orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho emerged. These programs have undergone implementation and are now producing positive outcomes. The programs target educational support, psychological assistance, home support and food security.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program through the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provides funding for girls’ education to improve access to education from the early stage of education to completion. They further help to improve financial skills and connect them to employment opportunities. This program focuses on orphans, children or caregivers living with HIV and those at risk of contracting HIV. They also collaborate with other USAID-supported initiatives in the area of education, health and economic strength to enhance the resilience of young people.

The Better Early Learning and Development at Scale Initiative

An initiative, the Better Early Learning and Development at Scale initiative (BELDS) in Lesotho focused on improving the delivery of early childhood educational environment and services.

The Global Partnership for Education and UNICEF have partnered with the BELDS initiative to ensure proper planning, financing and implementation of the early childhood education program.

The Roger Foundation School Readiness Initiative started in June 2020 and should last until December 2025 aims to ensure that vulnerable children in Lesotho have access to pre-primary education and early childhood development. It is expected to reach at least 60,000 children in 800 schools. In addition, the Roger Federer Foundation developed a tablet for offline use. This tablet, called the early learning kiosk, helps teachers in early childhood education to access beginner topics.

Looking Ahead

HIV/AIDS has turned a lot of children into orphans and also made them attain adult roles. However, various organizations have made education more easily accessible to them, even when it may have become the last priority. These initiatives not only focus on education for orphans but also on supporting them psychologically and financially in their communities and homes.

– Chidinma Nwoha
Photo: Pixabay

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SOS NPO Educates to End Hunger

End Hunger
While food and water insecurity remain issues in many parts of South Africa, one nonprofit is taking a new approach to transforming the situation for the better. The Save Our Schools Non-Profit Organization (SOS NPO) engages local school students in projects that teach everything from agricultural skills to the science behind rainwater harvesting. Its initiatives are not only helping eliminate resource scarcity but also ensuring that coming generations have the necessary skills to remain employed and end hunger and reduce the poverty rate in South Africa.

Poverty in the Western Cape

Cape Town is a world-renowned tourist destination that has earned love and admiration for its picturesque beaches. Yet, it is located in a province that is still home to a high number of residents living in poverty. As of 2019, an estimated 46% of residents in the Western Cape earned less than 1,227 Rand (about $70 USD) per month.

Although the province has the lowest expanded unemployment rate in South Africa at 31.3% as of August 2022, the low wages lead to rising levels of food insecurity. The most recent data from the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) found that more than 10 million South Africans experience moderate to severe food insecurity. In the Western Cape specifically, this number is expected to rise due to lowering dam levels.

The province gets its water supply via 44 dams, but low amounts of rainfall and an increasing population are keeping dam levels around 50%. Previous droughts led to restrictions on agricultural water use. Now, with less freshwater from the dams available to farmers, there are rising problems with food availability. Given this, SOS NPO considers the experiential education of the next generation as one of the effective ways of alleviating the issues.

SOS NPO

SOS NPO is dedicated to supporting impoverished schools in the Western Cape through initiatives that improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The nonprofit often provides resources that include non-potable water and transportation services to schools. It has also helped in installing rainwater harvesting systems throughout the province. However, the primary focus of its projects is sustainable education, particularly in the Bloekombos community.

One such initiative is the SOS Farming Academy, a program that provides agricultural education to young people in a bid to create employment opportunities. Students of the program live on the SOS NPO farm for a year, gaining valuable skills that guarantee them job placements upon leaving the program.

The organization also hosts the SOS Youth Club which was founded in 2020 and centered around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At each of the six schools in the Bloekombos area, students volunteer to be Goal Leaders for one of the SDGs. If elected, the Goal Leader is responsible for organizing a project related to their goal and getting other students involved. SOS NPO then provides resources and funding for each project.

Most recently, the nonprofit launched an initiative at Bloekombos High School that allows students to maintain vegetable gardens via rainwater harvesting.

How the Water in the Sky is Helping End Hunger

In March, SOS NPO recruited student volunteers to assist with the harvesting of a soccer-field-sized vegetable garden as part of its Water in the Sky initiative. The garden, planted near Bloekombos High School, uses a rainwater harvesting system installed earlier this year. In an interview with South African news outlet News24, SOS NPO spokesperson Amy Burrow announced that students who join the project “will be receiving agricultural training and education surrounding the maintenance of water-conscious vegetable gardens.”

With funding from brands like Nestlé, Puma and Hallmark, there is also the hope of expanding to other schools in the area. Additionally, the project could provide the community as a whole with a steady source of food and water.

The Mark of Progress

SOS NPO is doing work with the potential to end hunger and water insecurity situations in South Africa.  It is also leaving a legacy that can transform the lives of the next generation of South Africans through its education and empowerment of young people.

– Rachel Smith
Photo: Pixabay

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Being Poor in Cuba

Being Poor in CubaDuring Fidel Castro’s leadership, which lasted from 1959 through 2008, citizens experienced the reality of being poor in Cuba. Despite improved health care and education in the country, as shown by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) recognition of near-universal nationwide literacy, the Cuban economy and people still suffered under Castro’s rule. Meanwhile, the U.S. imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1962, following Castro’s ascension to power and this presented further hardships for Cuban exporters.

The embargo served to prevent the spread of communist ideology by isolating Cuba and restricting communication with the outside world. In an April 1960 memo, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lester D. Mallory wrote, “Every possible means should be undertaken promptly to weaken the economic life of Cuba.” The embargo is still active in 2023, with many pressuring President Biden to put an end to the repressive blockade in order to improve the quality of life for those living the reality of being poor in Cuba.

3 Facts About Being Poor in Cuba

  1. Food Scarcity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba faced a food crisis, particularly due to a combination of diminished food imports and tightened U.S. sanctions. Meanwhile, with an inflation rate of 42% in 2023, Cubans are struggling to put food on their tables. The current food shortage and scarcity issues mean that Cubans have few affordable food options. Even the most basic food items like eggs, milk, bread and toilet paper are becoming increasingly hard to find in local supermarkets.
  2. Employment Problems. For a country with a struggling economy, Cuba has a notably low unemployment rate compared to countries with a similar economic standing. Cuba has no minimum national wage, and in 2022, a report by the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) revealed that more than 72% of Cubans are living below the poverty line. In the same report, 30% of Cubans surveyed claimed to have full-time work, leaving the remaining 70% in precarious and unstable working conditions and heavily reliant on a small proportion of the population for financial support. With such a high number of Cubans working full-time and living in poverty, there is significant pressure on the employed to find additional ways to make ends meet.
  3. Health and Education. Even with the harsh reality of poverty in Cuba, Cubans enjoy free access to health and education. Because primary-level education is compulsory for all Cuban children, the country has a near-nationwide literacy rate. Moreover, preventative care stands as the priority of the Cuban health care system. Cuba also comes in first place in the world’s leaderboard for the number of doctors per 1,000 people at 8.4 in 2018, giving the country an exceptional reputation for an abundance of medical personnel.

CARE’s Work in Cuba

As a British charity operating internationally, CARE works to solve global poverty and eradicate all problems of inequality with a particular focus on women and girls. In 1959, CARE began working in Cuba to provide food security for those with little to no means. In 2019, CARE began making efforts to enable Cuban farmers to develop climate resiliency in the face of changing weather patterns as a means of strengthening food security. CARE also ran programs to improve quality of life, ensure access to clean water and implement sustainable agricultural methods in vulnerable communities. In terms of upholding the right to food, nutrition and water, CARE has run nine programs in Cuba. In 2022, programs of this nature benefited more than 5,500 people.

Looking Ahead

Due to its complicated history and ongoing political difficulties, a large fraction of the Cuban population lives below the poverty line. Also, the U.S. embargo currently makes it challenging for U.S.-based charities to provide aid to Cuba. This leaves the responsibility of providing aid to Cuba to countries and organizations outside the U.S. Despite these struggles, Cuba’s health and education services help to raise the quality of life in the nation.

– Genevieve Lewis
Photo: Flickr

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Child Poverty in South Sudan

Child Poverty in South Sudan
South Sudan, a North African nation that joined the U.N. in 2011, is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden countries in the world with a GDP of 12 billion in 2015 and about 67% of the population living in extreme poverty in 2017. The younger population of South Sudan is particularly vulnerable, with around two-thirds of children requiring humanitarian assistance due to poverty, environmental risks and conflict. Child poverty in South Sudan remains an issue, but several initiatives are providing aid.

Leading Causes of Child Poverty in Sudan

  1. Conflict: Two civil wars in 2013 and 2016 have significantly contributed to the increase in child poverty in South Sudan. Displacement due to conflict has left several thousand children homeless and armed militias have recruited approximately 19,000 child soldiers since the conflict started. The violence caused by the civil wars has been a leading cause of internal displacement, with a total of 472,452 children affected.
  2. Education: In South Sudan, education rates contribute significantly to child poverty. Three out of five children have either never attended school or dropped out, which equates to one of the highest rates globally. The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the situation by reducing school attendance rates.
  3. Climate: Extreme climatic conditions in the country also impact child poverty. Severe floods and droughts have affected the country in recent years, leaving 390,000 children without access to basic services and affecting 846 schools. Long droughts have led to child hunger, with more than 17,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
  4. COVID-19: The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to increasing child poverty issues in South Sudan. It also forced school closures and further aggravated the challenges in the education system. Reduction in global aid and humanitarian assistance due to the pandemic led to an economic crisis in the already struggling nation.

Taking Action

In recent years, South Sudan has taken action domestically. In 2018, the nation resorted to a peace agreement and implemented government reform to improve political stability. The leaders ackowledged establishing a stable government as the first step in securing a brighter future for the children of South Sudan.

Charities, volunteers and missionaries on the ground have played a crucial role in alleviating child poverty in South Sudan. For example, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) plans to vaccinate 2.7 million South Sudanese children against measles and provide 1.4 million children with access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities in schools by the end of 2023. UNICEF also aims to treat almost 300,000 children in South Sudan for severe wasting on top of efforts to provide 75,000 children and guardians with “mental health and psychosocial support.”

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has partnered with South Sudan since 2012 and runs initiatives to enhance the education system in South Sudan by offering financial aid through UNICEF grants and providing on-the-ground support. UNICEF provided a COVID-19 response grant of $7 million for 2020 to 2022 to secure “self-learning materials” for learners, create custom radio broadcasted learning programs for students of certain grades and launch a “back-to-school campaign” to motivate students to resume school attendance, among other efforts.

With financial support from the international community, efforts are ongoing to gradually end child poverty in South Sudan.

Looking Ahead

South Sudan’s children have endured years of hardship since the country’s independence from all spheres of life. Whether that be conflict, climate disasters or a lack of education, these children have lived through harsh realities and poor conditions. With the government and international charity organizations working to solve the issues of child poverty, South Sudan continues to see positive change. The government reforms have led to notable reductions in conflict incidents.

While there is still room for progress, ongoing efforts have seen success and present the children of South Sudan with hopes of a brighter future.

– Max Steventon
Photo: Flickr

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7 Facts About Education in Laos

Education in LaosLaos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia and is one of the five remaining communist countries in the world. Laos is also one of the poorest countries in the region with a GDP of about $18.8 billion in 2021. In comparison, Vietnam’s GDP stood at about $366 billion and Thailand’s GDP stood at about $506 billion. Poverty in Laos is evident in the nation’s struggling education system. Factors such as cost, accessibility and traditional beliefs have prevented children from enrolling in school. However, education in Laos has improved in recent times due to domestic changes and international help. These interventions have focused on building a better education system in Laos and getting more children into school.

7 Facts About Education in Laos

  1. High Dropout Rates. Laos’ education system sees a high number of dropouts, particularly at lower levels of education. This means very few reach upper secondary education levels. Only 81.9% of children complete their primary education, with 15% going on to pursue lower secondary education and just 3% progressing to upper secondary levels.
  2. Low Enrollment Rate in Rural Areas. Only 70% of children attend school in rural areas compared to 84% in the urban population. The low enrollment rate in rural areas is largely due to poor road access. Many children live in isolated, mountainous areas. As a result, traveling to the nearest schools is an almost impossible endeavor. Furthermore, parents in the rural population are typically low-income earners who can hardly afford the costs of education. They prefer to have their children work and earn income for the family. Another issue is the disproportionate oversupply of Laotian and international teachers in urban areas, which leaves many rural areas with few teachers.
  3. Gender-based Enrollment Disparity. Laos’ education system has a clear issue regarding gender equity and equality. There is a higher number of enrolled male children compared to female children. The enrollment rates at the primary education level for boys and girls are 75% and 71% respectively. At the secondary level, the gap is slightly wider, with 36% for boys and 31% for girls. This disparity is mainly due to the old-fashioned values that many Laotian families hold. Several families expect girls to shoulder the burden of caretaking and household chores. Hence, female education is not prioritized.
  4. Four-part Education Structure. Laos’ education system consists of four stages: early childhood education, general education, technical and vocational education and higher education. The enrollment rates drop significantly as the levels go higher. Primary enrollment, which also falls under general education, stands at 97%. In contrast, enrollment at the upper secondary level is just 3%. This results in most Laotian children failing to achieve their full scholarly potential.
  5. Inadequate Education Budget. Despite the struggles of the education system in Laos, the government does not prioritize funding and spending on the education sector. Only 3.3% of Laos’ total GDP goes into education — one of the lowest rates globally. Much of the spending, both domestically and from international aid, goes toward fighting poverty in Laos by providing basic needs such as food, water and shelter.
  6. Improved Education System and Government Reforms. Governmental reforms and policy changes have helped improve the quality of education and enrollment through the years. The education reforms of 2006 to 2015 sought to improve educational quality and align the education system with international standards. For example, these reforms focused on building more schools in rural areas to facilitate accessibility for children in rural Laos. Reforms have significantly increased enrollment. From 1975 to 1976, there were just 146 enrolled children in upper secondary education. From 2005 to 2006, the number of enrolled children increased to 45,198, demonstrating the effectiveness of the reforms.
  7. International Aid Impact. International aid has been vital in improving the quality of education in Laos. A Save the Children program aimed to “improve the quality of learning for children in Laos.” With $8 million in funding, the program enabled 3,000 children to attend primary school in 2012. In 2021, the World Bank, supported by other nations, announced funding of $47 million “aimed at improving preschool and primary education performance and enhancing education systems nationwide.”

The Promise of Progress

While dropout rates and low higher education attainment still stand as issues, Laos’ education system has seen significant progress over the years. Enrollment rates are steadily rising and the quality of education is improving. All of these are indications of a promising future for Laos’ education system.

– Max Steventon
Photo: Flickr

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Beauty Brands Contributing to Poverty Reduction

Beauty Brands Contributing to Poverty ReductionBusinesses can positively impact their communities and play a significant role in the global fight against poverty. Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury are some of the beauty brands contributing to poverty reduction.

Fenty Beauty

The brand Fenty Beauty works alongside the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF). This foundation supports and funds children’s education, health and emergency response programs worldwide. Fenty Beauty supports its work through donations and 100% of donations go directly to the foundation.

Rihanna, the creator of Fenty Beauty, details her motivation for ensuring that her brand gives back to those in need. “My grandmother always used to say if you’ve got a dollar, there’s plenty to share,” says Rihanna. The global superstar created the CLF in 2012 to honor her grandparents. The foundation focuses on assisting communities in preparing for and withstanding natural disasters. Notably, CLF aims to help the Caribbean become the world’s first climate-resilient zone.

By working to establish resilience among communities, the CLF helps prevent future poverty among residents due to natural disasters. Many of CLF’s projects take place in Barbados, Rihanna’s home country. Beneficiaries include the Westbury Primary School, which the CLF helped to upgrade to a Category 1 shelter to provide temporary emergency shelter to the community during natural disasters. The CLF also helped to renovate the school library and provide technology for research activities.

Fenty Beauty stands as one of the beauty brands contributing to poverty reduction by improving the lives of those in the Caribbean and preventing poverty from deepening through its climate resilience projects.

Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty,  founded by Selena Gomez, has committed to helping address mental health needs globally through its Rare Impact Fund (RIF). Gomez allocates 1% of all sales to the RIF. The beauty company also works with other philanthropic foundations to increase access to mental health services.

Gomez created the RIF because of her own struggles with mental health. The RIF “invests globally in the most innovative and promising organizations in the field of mental health.” The organization has given more than $1.7 million in grant support to organizations worldwide since launching the RIF in 2020. The RIF has worked in North America, the U.K., Europe and Brazil to help more than 150,000 people seeking support for their mental health needs.

A study by Lee Knifton and Greig Inglis says poverty can contribute to poor mental health through the invoked stress, stigma and trauma. Mental health issues can also deepen conditions of poverty. “Mental health problems can lead to impoverishment through loss of employment, underemployment or fragmentation of social relationships,” the study says.

Through its commitment to expanding mental health resources around the world, Rare Beauty established itself as one of the beauty brands contributing to poverty reduction.

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, the cosmetic brand named after its creator, the British beauty entrepreneur and makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, partners with Women for Women International (WFWI) to establish itself as a brand contributing to poverty reduction.

WFWI invests in women who are survivors of war and conflict. By providing these women with social and economic skills, WFWI works to transform individual lives and those in the communities the women reenter. The organization works in 14 conflict-stricken countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In 2016, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty launched a collection of 12 lipstick shades, and to commemorate the product launch, the company pledged to donate more than $1 million to WFWI. In 2018, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty also supported WFWI on Giving Tuesday by donating 15% of all sales to the organization.

Looking Ahead

Beauty brands that take a stand against global poverty can significantly alleviate the immediate and long-term effects of this global epidemic. By providing resources, education and support to those in need, such brands can help address the root causes of poverty and empower individuals and communities to improve their own economic situations.

Furthermore, these efforts can create a ripple effect, inspiring others to get involved and generating greater awareness and advocacy for this critical issue. Beauty brands contributing to poverty reduction provide hope for a brighter, more equitable future for all.

– Brooklynn Rich
Photo: Flickr

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Reducing Gendered Poverty by Empowering Women

gendered poverty
Statistics prove that poverty affects women more than men as women make up the majority of the world’s poor. The social structures and barriers in many, if not all, countries are the reasons for this accelerated rate of poverty among women. These barriers include gender wage gaps, the lack of access to decent working conditions and opportunities, the amount of unpaid work women do in their communities and households and the fact that their workdays are longer. Many organizations recognize these issues and are taking a stand against gendered poverty by empowering women.

The Importance of Empowering Women

It is important to include everyone’s needs in the fight against poverty. However, because poverty impacts women at an exacerbated rate, their empowerment and advancement in society create statistically higher rates of economic growth in countries where women are a priority. Across developing nations, women make up 40% of all farmers, yet they own as little as 1% of the land. When the narrative changes and women can own just as much land as men, crop yields have the potential to grow up to 10%.

Similarly, women and girls attend school at a much lower rate than men and boys. With just 10% more girls attending school, a nation can see its GDP expanding by about 3%. When women secure an economic opportunity that brings in an income, they tend to reinvest their earnings into their families and community. This means higher education rates, lower hunger rates, healthier family models (fewer child mortality, fewer unwanted pregnancies) and increased local economic growth.

U.N. Women Fights Gendered Poverty

The United Nations is currently making great progress by spearheading and promoting many projects around the world that focus on women first to eradicate poverty. U.N. Women recognizes that zero poverty is not achievable without dissolving gender inequality and placing women at the center of development efforts.

U.N. Women initiatives have benefited more than 100,000 impoverished and disadvantaged women in 29 districts in India. As the result of one particular project, “more than 30,000 marginalized rural women now manage worksites and are able to ensure wages are paid and demand their rights under pension, social protection and livelihood programs,” the U.N. Women website says.

Chars Livelihoods Program (CLP)

The chars of Northwestern Bangladesh, or riverine islands, are susceptible to destruction through flooding and erosion. Many people living on these chars suffer from poverty and are vulnerable to losses of assets and livelihoods due to floods and erosion.

One program that put women at the center of its efforts is the Chars Livelihood Program (CLP), which ran in various phases from 2004 to 2016 through funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). The program sought to help families rise out of poverty by giving women of households living in poverty investment capital, intellectual resources and economic courses and by educating communities on gender discrimination. These actions led to women investing in long-term, sustainable income-generating opportunities and familial betterment and saw women becoming more participatory in the community and taking control of their independence.

The first phase of the CLP (CLP-1) operated between 2004 and 2010 on the chars of the Jamuna River. CLP-1 aimed to assist 55,000 of the most impoverished families and is estimated to have positively benefited more than 900,000 individuals.

Moving Forward

When countries find solutions to address gendered poverty, leaders can then start to eradicate poverty at the source. By giving women economic opportunity, social space and personal autonomy and empowerment, countries open up the globe’s playing field to a marginalized group that plays a significant role in global economic growth.

– Alexandra Curry
Photo: Flickr

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Literacy and Education in Oaxaca, Mexico

Education in Oaxaca
There are several barriers to education in Oaxaca, Mexico, including a lack of resources and funding, high poverty rates and inadequate infrastructure. Organizations are working to make quality education accessible to children in Oaxaca and improve literacy rates through reading programs.

Poverty in Oaxaca

According to World Bank data from 2020, agricultural land accounts for about 50% of Mexico’s total land area. However, in rural and typically agricultural-based areas, poverty rates are usually higher than in urban areas and educational attainment rates are low.

Furthermore, in agriculture-based southern states such as Oaxaca, one of the most impoverished states in Mexico, the costs of education are out of reach for many families as about 24% of the population lives in extreme poverty. According to Mexico’s official statistics, in 2020, only 35% of Oaxaca’s population had completed primary school education and just 18.5% had completed secondary school.

Access to education is obscured for many disadvantaged Mexicans in states such as Oaxaca. For those who are able to access education, the lack of funding in schools created inadequate environments for learning. Many early education schools in Mexico do not have access to running water, making it difficult for students to comfortably engage in learning.

The illiteracy rate within Oaxaca State varies greatly across rural and urban communities. In 2020, the illiteracy rate within Oaxaca’s largest urban city, Oaxaca City, stood at 2.37%. On the other hand, one of Oaxaca’s more rural municipalities, Santiago Yaitepec, had an illiteracy rate of 28%. In 2020, in Santiago Yaitepec, less than a quarter of the population had completed at least a middle school education and about 6% achieved a high school diploma.

Improving Literacy and Education in Oaxaca

The Ananda Learning Center is situated in San Sebastián Río Hondo, a rural village in Oaxaca with about 2,000 residents. It aims to provide a holistic and affordable private-level education to Indigenous Zapotec children from the village. The school teaches in both English and Spanish to open up more opportunities for children. The Ananda Center allows quality education for disadvantaged children and is currently fundraising to continue its operations.

A nonprofit organization named Fundacion Alfredo Harp Helu Oaxaca (FAHHO) aims to improve education and literacy among Oaxaca’s disadvantaged children. The FAHHO has established several libraries in areas of Oaxaca so that children and adolescents may access reading material to improve their literacy skills.

The FAHHO also runs mobile libraries to improve reading skills among children. A van supplied with “books, boxes, mats, shelves and easels” travels to communities and coordinators conduct reading initiatives and fun learning activities. The FAHHO established the We Keep Reading Program in 2008 and relies on the help of voluntary readers. By 2014, the initiative reached more than 6,000 children a week within 21 schools across more than five of Oaxaca’s municipalities.

The FAHHO and the Ananda Learning Center focus on improving literacy and education in Oaxaca’s most disadvantaged communities. Empowering children with education will allow them to rise out of poverty — a positive impact that will have a community-wide reach in disadvantaged areas.

– Micaela Carrillo
Photo: Flickr

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6 Facts about the State of Education in Afghanistan

State of Education in Afghanistan
The education system in Afghanistan has faced many obstacles as a result of conflicts and changes in the country’s legal structure. In 2001, only 1 million children attended school in Afghanistan. However, since the Taliban ceased to rule in 2001, according to UNESCO, by 2018, around 10 million children attended school. Despite this improvement, UNICEF statistics indicate that Afghanistan’s out-of-school population equaled 3.7 million children, with girls accounting for 60% of this group. The state of education in Afghanistan has significantly deteriorated since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

6 Facts About the State of Education in Afghanistan

  1. The impact of the Taliban takeover. The takeover of the Taliban in 2021 has reversed much of the country’s progress in regard to education. Since March 23, 2022, the Taliban has banned 1.1 million girls from attending high school. The rule of the Taliban has also affected tertiary education for females — Afghanistan’s tertiary institutions note a 60% reduction in enrollment.
  2. Afghanistan’s literacy rates. The World Bank places Afghanistan’s adult literacy rate (percentage of people aged 15 and above who can read and write) at about 37% in 2021, which marks a 6% increase from 2011. However, urban areas account for a majority of this percentage as literacy rates in rural Afghanistan are still considerably low.
  3. Teachers in Afghanistan. In 2021, Afghanistan had nearly 220,000 teachers, a number that increased significantly from 27,000 in 2003. However, only 22% of these teachers meet the basic minimum qualifications of grade 14. There is also gender disparity as only 28% of teachers are female.
  4. GDP expenditure on education. In total, in 2020, the Afghan government allocated almost 3% of its GDP to education, according to the World Bank.
  5. Lower secondary school enrollment rates. In 2019, according to the World Bank, gross primary school enrollment rates in Afghanistan stood at 107%, but secondary school enrollment rates stood at 55%.
  6. The impact of poverty. Almost 50% of families lived below the poverty line in Afghanistan in 2020. Due to conditions of poverty, many children are forced into working at a young age to provide income instead of attending school.

Efforts to Improve Education in Afghanistan

Before the takeover, Afghanistan had significantly progressed in the realm of education. Though gender discrimination continued to impact girls’ education, girls’ school attendance rates did rise — the number of Afghan girls attending primary school rose from nearly zero in 2001 to 2.5 million in 2018.

A six-member project called Step Towards Afghan Girls’ Education Success (STAGES) prioritizes the education of boys and girls in Afghanistan through “community-based education classes in 1,078 communities across 16 provinces.” The project, spanning 6.5 years, began in April 2017 and will run until September 2023. Part one of the project reached completion in June 2021.

By this date, the project had aided the education of almost 25,000 disadvantaged girls in Afghanistan. Part one of the project also helped “1,995 young women to become teachers through a teaching apprenticeship [program] and grants to attend Teacher Training Colleges,” the Girls’ Education Challenge website says. Part two of the project looks to allow community-based education for an additional 5,145 marginalized Afghan girls to finish lower primary education.

By supporting projects like STAGES and mobilizing U.K. and U.S. advocates, the state of education in Afghanistan can improve.

– Safa Ali
Photo: Flickr