In Afghanistan, for example, the education system has been virtually destroyed by 23 years of conflict. From this gap, communities reached out to CARE and as a result, one of CARE's most innovative and successful projects, the COPE primary education project, was born. Reaching both boys and girls, this project gained the acceptance of communities and was able to operate in the midst of conflict because it is inexpensive, sustainable, and it respects local norms. This community-driven project reaches more than 23,000 students, 46 percent girls. CARE has also started the Female Teacher Training project, which to date has trained more than 1,200 new teachers, and a “fast-track” project that helps students who have missed early grades catch up quickly.

With the second largest population worldwide, India has made education a priority. Nevertheless, only one-third of Indian girls completes primary school. To rectify this situation, communities worked alongside CARE and other humanitarian organizations to create low-cost alternative schools. Students were so eager to attend these schools that instructors have had to turn students away due to lack of capacity. These schools have a 95 percent passing rate, at a cost of approximately $840 per year per child – about 12 percent of the average annual expenditure in the United States.

Access to quality, equitable education is desperately needed in some Latin American communities, where 3 out of 4 children do not make it to fifth grade. ©CARE 2001 / Valenda Campbell

Peru is another example. In some rural areas, 50 percent of Peruvian women between the ages of 15 and 50 are illiterate. CARE’s New Horizons for Girls’ Education project spearheaded a network of 25 government ministries, local and community organizations and international donors, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to identify and solve problems associated with girls’ education. After consistent advocacy by the network, the Peruvian congress recently approved a bill to promote girls’ education, aiming to ensure universal enrollment for girls in quality, equitable basic education within a five-year period. This is a tremendous achievement and a positive step towards providing every child with quality basic education.

In June, President Bush called for doubling the amount of money the United States spends on education in Africa to $200 million over the next five years. While the situation in Africa is dire, 75 percent of the world’s illiterate – approximately 666 million people – live in Asia. And in many Latin America communities, three out of four children don’t reach fifth grade. Funds must be secured to ensure that girls in rural Afghanistan, in remote villages of the Andes Mountains and in the crowded urban centers of China, India and Malaysia are given equal access to quality education. The World Bank estimates that an additional $2.5 to $5 billion in international assistance is needed to ensure education for all.

Equitable education for all will not come simply through funding. Though poverty is the major impediment to sending children to school, following close behind is the practice of keeping girls at home so they can help with domestic chores like fetching water, minding younger siblings and preparing food. Additionally, the learning environment in many schools is so poor, that even when families send their children to school, they fail to learn to read and write.

To date, 300 Indian girls like this one have completed their studies at CARE's Udaan -- an alternative, low-cost school. ©CARE 2001 / Josh Estey

It is therefore important to raise awareness about the benefits of education: educated women have better prenatal care, and consequently their children have higher survival rates; for every year beyond fourth grade that girls go to school, wages rise 20 percent. Additionally, education is one of the most effective weapons against HIV/AIDS – among uneducated women, more than 40 percent has no knowledge of HIV/AIDS, compared to 8 percent of women with post-primary education. Education is also a major component in reducing poverty – an adult with a primary education earns twice as much as an adult without any schooling.

President Bush noted in 2001, “Literacy and learning are the foundation of democracy and development.” According to the World Bank, countries with higher rates of secondary schooling have greater political stability and more democratic rights. These countries make for more reliable partners committed to a secure and peaceful world community.

In other words, giving every child the opportunity to learn benefits the entire global community. Depriving a child of education can have severe consequences for us all. Education is an easy choice.

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