10 Toughest Places in the World for Girls to Go to School

BBC
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10 Toughest Places in the World for Girls to go to School Giving Compass

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Sean Coughlan reports that the following 10 countries are the most difficult places for girls to go to school because of a combination of factors including conflict, cultural norms, child marriage, and teachers shortages.

• What are the most impactful steps that philanthropists can take to increase the number of girls attending school in these places? How can cultural barriers be eroded to allow girls to access education? 

• Find out why education aid for girls in Afghanistan never made it the intended recipients.

Debates about schools in richer countries are often about the politics of priorities, what subjects should be given most importance, who needs extra help and what needs more public spending.

But for families in many developing countries questions about education can be a lot more basic – is there any access to school at all?

Figures from the United Nations suggest there has been “almost zero progress” in the past decade in tackling the lack of school places in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Here are the top 10 toughest places for girls’ education:

  1. South Sudan: the world’s newest country has faced much violence and war, with the destruction of schools and families forced from their homes. Almost three-quarters of girls do not even make it to primary school
  2. Central African Republic: one teacher for every 80 pupils
  3. Niger: only 17% of women between the ages of 15 and 24 are literate
  4. Afghanistan: wide gender gap, with boys more likely to be in school than girls
  5. Chad: many social and economic barriers to girls and women getting education
  6. Mali: only 38% of girls finish primary school
  7. Guinea: the average time in education among women over the age of 25 is less than one year
  8. Burkina Faso: only 1% of girls complete secondary school
  9. Liberia: almost two-thirds of primary-age pupils out of school
  10. Ethiopia: two in five girls are married before the age of 18

Read more about education in these conflict zones by Sean Coughlan at BBC.

Interested in learning more about Women and Girls? Other readers at Giving Compass found the following articles helpful for impact giving related to Women and Girls.

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    Microfinance is Essential in Alleviating Financial Hardship

    Giving Compass' Take: • This story from MDRC discusses recent findings which suggest that microloans are a valuable tool for low-income women entrepreneurs. • For some women, microloans might be the first opportunity to gain financial knowledge. How can donors support this approach? • To learn more about how small cash transfers to women can lead to them living healthier lives, click here. Nonprofit research organization MDRC and Grameen America, Inc., the fastest growing nonprofit microfinance organization in the United States, [recently] released the early results of a research study. The study, funded by Robin Hood, is the most rigorous, independent, third-party evaluation of group microfinance in the United States, assessing Grameen America’s program, a microfinance model that provides small loans to low-income women entrepreneurs in the United States seeking to launch or expand small businesses. Highlights from the early findings of the evaluation of the Grameen America program include: More than 94 percent of Grameen America members reported that their financial situation is better than it was the previous year, a 13 percentage point increase over the control group average. The Grameen America program produced a 22 percentage point increase in the attainment of a credit score — a VantageScore — at 7-12 months after participants enrolled in the study, and a 6 percentage point increase in the attainment of a Prime credit score, the top tier of creditworthiness. Grameen America members were 13 percentage points more likely than their control group counterparts to report that they could afford to buy the things they needed. Over 95 percent of Grameen America members reported operating their own businesses 6 months after joining the program, an increase of 11 percentage points over the control group average. “For many women, a loan from Grameen may be their first experience accessing formal financial services and can help build their financial identity. A good credit score is a vital asset for not only accessing credit, but also a mobile phone contract, renting an apartment, or applying for a mortgage.” said Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Community Development and Inclusive Finance, which made MDRC’s six-month report possible. Read the full article about microfinance at MDRC.

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