A very interesting opinion piece from Jane Sloane published on Reliefweb. She starts with the powerful opening claim that “Educating girls is one of the most effective ways for countries to achieve their economic potential, improve health, reduce conflict, and save lives.”
The article discusses work being carried out by The Asia Foundation. This work demonstrates what a large-scale programme of girls’ education across Asia could achieve with a mix of public and private investment. The Asia Foundation has managed girls’ education programmes in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, and Mongolia for decades. The programmes are multifaceted and include scholarships, living accommodation, literacy tutoring, mentoring, career counseling, financial literacy training, and soft-skills development. To date, the Foundation has supported over 70,000 girls in Afghanistan and more than 10,000 in other parts of Asia.
The article concludes with the thought: “Educating girls and young women can change the history of a nation as well as the life of a girl. It’s time for a large-scale investment in girls’ education in Asia to make that a reality for the next generation.”
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.