CARE Empowers Girls and Their Families Through Education

This post is sponsored by CARE.org but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

CARE empowers girls and their families through education. They know that education is an investment that pays off now and for generations to come.

Laxmi’s Story

Until recently, 12 year-old Laxmi Pal’s days consisted of cleaning and caring for her younger siblings in a hut made of dried mud. Girls in Laxmi’s Indian village of Kodanna spend most of their days this way, with no exposure to education, until marrying at the age of 14. Laxmi broke tradition recently, becoming the first person in her immediate family to attend school, thanks to the CARE-supported Udaan residential school in Hardoi. In just 11 months, Lasmi will complete an accelerated bridge course and graduate from 5th grade, preparing her to mainstream into government schooling and continue her education.

When a girl is educated, she then educates three families – her parents, her in-laws, and eventually her own kids. We must invest in girls. The nation will never develop if girls are not in school.”

While the future for girls without education is stark, CARE is making it possible for Laxmi and girls like her to “dream about my future for the first time.” 100 girls ages 11 to 14 attend the CARE-supported Udaan residential school each year. Since the school opened in 1999, 98% of the girls have passed 5th grade exams and 90% have gone on to complete their schooling, often with higher than average grades.

Girls are hungry to learn and educational opportunities make a tremendous difference for individuals, families and communities:

Women earn 10-20% more for every year of school completed

Children of educated mothers are 2x as likely to go to school

CARE estimates that about 31 million girls are out of school worldwide. They face what can feel like insurmountable barriers to education.

• For many families, the cost of school uniforms is equal to several weeks or even several month’s of the family’s income.
• In places where girls have a lower social status than boys, their education is valued less.When money is tight and families have to make tough choices, they will opt-out of sending girls to school.
• In rural communities around the world, girls are often expected to wake before dawn and spend HOURS fetching water from remote creeks or wells.
• In poor rural farm communities, one bad harvest can mean the difference between being able to send a childto school or keeping her home.
• By one estimate, 1/3 of girls in the developing world are married before they are 18. Child marriage often goes along with being forced to drop out ofschool and having children very young.
• When families are forced from their homes by war, their children are forced out of school.

CARE.org is committed to helping girls overcome these barriers by working with parents, community leaders and governments. Their work empowers girls and their families to help themselves.

Education is an investment that pays off now and for generations to come. Consider becoming part of the CARE community by visiting the CARE education gift catalog page. As little as $10 makes all the difference, and school uniforms for 2 girls are only $38.

Udaan means “to soar” and that is exactly what a contribution to CARE does – help young girls soar.

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