“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” Kofi Annan
Education opens doorways. Whether you want to be an engineer or a writer, an education allows you to forge your path. Everything we are we owe to someone else’s education. If not for Steve Jobs, Apple Macbooks would not exist and if Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker had not met at the University of San Francisco, there would be no Starbucks. So can you imagine how I felt this past week when I learned that 62 million girls around the world are denied the opportunity to education?
Bewildered and horrified to say the least.
So what’s all this #62MillionGirls business?
First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched the ‘Let Girls Learn’ initiative, a campaign aimed at helping girls across the globe attend and complete school. To raise awareness for the initiative, she created the #62MillionGirls Yearbook. On social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, she’s encouraging men and women to follow her example and post a black and white selfie with a tagline similar to her own: “In school, I learned how to speak up for myself. #62MillionGirls don’t have that chance.” Even Queen Bey is in on it.
So what’s stopping you?
The objective of the initiative is to educate and empower women previously denied access to education. These girls have diminished economic opportunities and are more vulnerable to forms of violence. According to 62milliongirls.com, girls with a quality education are more likely to earn a decent living, raise a healthy, educated family and improve the quality of life for herself, her family, and her community.
The action we can take to show our support is simple—take a black and white selfie and caption it like this cheeky monkey (aka me):
Then, post it on social media! The more attention we draw, the more support the initiative gains J Donations are also welcome.
Although #62MillionGirls is trending at the moment, other similar programs are in action. Take the Malala Fund for example. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, is an inspiration to us all. Her commitment to attaining 12 years of quality education for girls worldwide is nothing short of inspiring. Even after an attack on her life, she remains strong and dedicated to her cause. Similar to Let Girls Learn, the Malala Fund receives donations to sustain educational and leadership programs in developing countries. There’s also Girls Rising and the USAID ‘Let Girls Learn’ approach. All of these programs are focussed on increasing access to quality education, reducing barriers to success, and empowering adolescent girls.
Her Campus is a perfect example of how valuable education is for girls globally. We’re an international writing conglomerate founded by three Harvard undergraduate students. Over 7,000 tertiary student writers contribute to its content. We aspire to be a ‘collegiette:’ a college woman who is on top of her game—strategically career-minded, distinctly fashionable, socially connected, academically driven, and health conscious. We endeavour to get the most out of our college experience on every level. That’s why it’s crucial we recognize that an overwhelming 62 million girls do not have access to the level of education we do, and that we need to make every effort to support and empower them. Let’s group together to show our support and open pathways for girls so they can receive the same opportunities we do!
See these sites for more information:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/files/let_girls_learn_fact_sheet_03032015.pdf
https://www.whitehouse.gov/letgirlslearn
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1869/USAID_LGL_FactSheet.pdf