Three facts everyone should know about global education for girls

A Neema student writing a letter to her Grace Partner

With the summer season coming to an end and families preparing for the school year, we wanted to remind you about the girls who don’t have the chance of going to school. Here are three facts about global education for girls that we think everyone should know:

1. An estimated 129 million girls worldwide are out of school today.¹
   While many children are unable to attend (or remain) in school, girls face more barriers such as gender bias, poverty, violence, and child marriage. In rural Kenya一 where Neema is based一most girls drop out of school by 8th grade. While public school is technically free, students are required to pay for uniforms, supplies, and other fees, which are often too much for families making less than $2/day. As a result, less than 25% of women in rural Kenya who went to school completed high school, crushing their opportunities for a better future.²

2. About 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their way to or at school each year.³
   For many girls, the long walk to school puts them at risk of abuse and many even experience violence while at school. This causes them to drop out of school and it compromises their mental and physical health. It also exposes them to teen pregnancies. At Neema, about half of the young women already have a child before joining our program. Because of the risks of violence and the stigma of teenage pregnancy, many girls drop out of school and do not return to school, with no other option to turn to for further education. That’s why Neema plays such a crucial role.

3. Girls with little or no education are three times likely to marry before age 18.⁴
   More than 41,000 girls under the age of 18 marry every day.⁵ Girls who become child brides are much more likely to drop out of school and are at a higher risk of teen pregnancy and domestic violence. Without an education, these women have difficulty earning a living which leaves them trapped in their situation where the health and education of their children is also affected. 

In contrast, remaining in school and completing their education allows women to earn an income and become self-sufficient. At Neema, we see it first hand. For one woman graduating from our program, she will support eight other individuals over four generations: her grandparents, parents, siblings, and children. 

Because of people like you, the lives of 190 young women and their families in rural Kenya have been forever transformed.

Unfortunately, the need to restore, educate, and transform the lives of many still remains. To secure the future of twice as many vulnerable young women, support our new campus and double your impact!