Education

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Education

Education is crucial for development and is one of the most powerful tools in breaking the cycle of poverty.

Educating girls can help build their self-esteem, allow them to become economically productive and independent, and empower them to take control of their lives. Educating girls helps break the cycle of poverty and inequality.

We invest more in education than any other area and work to make sure children, young people and adults get the knowledge and life skills they need to reach their full potential. We support education from early childhood through to the post-secondary level.

15 million girlswill never have the opportunity to learn to read and write in primary school

Girls' educationis not considered as important as boys in many countries

Two-thirdsof the illiterate people in the world are female

The Right to Be Educated

Girls from around the world use the words of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to campaign for education as part of our Because I am a Girl campaign.

Help us ensure every girl has the right to be educated.

Donate

Our Work to Educate Girls

2,600 parentsin Ecuador understand the importance of keeping their children in school

8,000 refugeechildren in Sudan were able to continue studying after we trained 724 teachers and helpers

3,600 girlsreceived scholarships to train as primary school teachers in Burkina Faso

Our work in education includes:

ensuring girls and boys have free and equal access to education, including during emergencies
working with governments to provide safe, inclusive school environments, a relevant curriculum, and qualified and motivated teachers
giving children and parents a voice in school governance so that their concerns are addressed, and ensuring that school managers and governments are held accountable for providing good quality education
actively targeting children who have never been to school or who have dropped out and offering them the chance of an education.

The Chance to Be a Child Again

“I love being at school – then I can play during break”, says Jenny, aged 7. She has a lot of responsibility at home for such a young girl, but the school day gives her the chance to be a child.

Jenny's story

Educating girls on their Rights

We’re helping children, particularly girls, to understand their rights through education. We work with schools, teachers, community leaders, and young people to change attitudes to harmful gender stereotypes and practices like FGM and child marriage.

60 teachersreceived training on how to include girls equally in lessons, as well as how to prevent trafficking, in Yunnan, China

1,000 children’slives have improved now that we’re working in their schools to prevent bullying and abuse in Honduras

470 communityand religious leaders are trained on the dangers of harmful traditional practices like FGM and spread the message to over 8,000 people in Mali

What stops a girl from going to school?

There are many barriers that stop girls from getting an education. Find out six of the biggest barriers to a girl’s education.

The barriers