Educate a girl, change the world

What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well.—Hillary Rodham Clinton, September 1995, remarks for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women

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Educating a girl means changing the world — not just her world, but the world she lives in. Education is the key to unlocking access to economic opportunity and other life-giving resources for millions around the world. Educated girls grow into women who are empowered to care for themselves, their families, and their communities. When you invest in a girl, the dividends are immeasurable.

Today, about two-thirds of the 759 million adults (age 15 and older) worldwide who lack basic literacy skills are women. Why are women being left behind when it comes to education?

Girls in our world face a variety of barriers to becoming educated: conflict, war, and violence; human trafficking; lack of access to safe water and medical care; gender discrimination, child marriage, and bonded labor; displacement; and others.

But we can change the odds for girls around the world by helping them acquire an education. October 11 is the first-ever International Day of the Girl. We invite you to commemorate this day in several different ways:

• Sponsor a girl in need. Sponsorship makes a long-term investment in the life of a girl, her family, and her community, providing greater access to life-giving basics like nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and education — the foundation for a future of independence and hope.
• Host an event to honor the International Day of the Girl. Your event can help raise awareness of the importance of investing in the lives of girls around the world.
• Share #BasicMath. Girls + Education = A world of possibilities. Be a part of the photo campaign that shares this message with the world. Print out the Girls + Education placard. Fill in the blank with what educating girls means to you. Snap a photo and share it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.