"Educating girls yields a higher rate of return than any other investment in the developing world." This quote by the former Chief Economist of the World Bank reflects a growing body of research that proves the extraordinarily high impact of girls' education (see http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/2009PGY_NewLessons.pdf).

The Girl Campaign, starting Fall 2012, will be Readers Beyond Borders' landmark project. The purpose is to create a movement to empower communities by educating girls. The Girl Campaign's immediate goal is to educate 6,000 out-of-school girls in impoverished communities in targeted regions of Haiti and Gambia. We plan to adapt BRAC's low-cost, high-impact NFPE (non-formal primary education) model with proven supplemental interventions from J-PAL (MIT's Jameel Poverty Action Lab).

Readers Beyond Borders (RBB) is an international education NGO created and professionally operated by a team of 30 Emory undergraduate students. RBB has created an innovative sponsorship program to sponsor college education for AIDS orphans in Kitui District, Kenya and has partnered with Mothering Across Continents and World Relief to build 2 schools in Unity State, South Sudan. RBB takes a grounded yet innovative approach to international educational development. In Fall 2012, RBB's focus will turn to The Girl Campaign. The Girl Campaign will be supported by RBB's in-house research and development lab, the Education Action Lab (EALAB).

Problema

"Lack of educational achievement remains a key obstacle to social and economic development in Haiti, with less than half of Haitian school-aged children enrolled in primary school and an adult literacy rate of just over 50 percent. As more than 600,000 out-of-school Haitian children and youth are either illiterate or functionally illiterate, a generation of Haitians lacks the necessary knowledge and skills to enter the labor force. More than 85 percent of primary schools are privately managed by non-governmental organizations, churches, communities, and for-profit operators, with little to no government oversight and approximately 75 percent of teachers lack adequate training. Annual school expenses account for about 40 percent of income for low-income families, serving as a financial burden for families with children in school. The January 2010 earthquake resulted in damage or destruction to 50 percent of primary and secondary schools, according to the Government of Haiti (GOH)." -USAID Haiti Our low-cost, high-impact solution is desperately needed to provide essential basic education to out-of-school girls who are often the most vulnerable children.

Solução

Combining BRAC's internationally acclaimed NFPE (non-formal primary education) model with cutting-edge educational research from J-PAL (MIT's Jameel Poverty Action Lab), The Girl Campaign will develop low-cost, high-impact schools to educate out-of-school girls. An educated female from the community is trained and provided resources to educate 30 out-of-school girls. Through an accelerated curriculum covering 4 years of primary education in 3 years, out-of-school girls are provided essential literacy, numeracy, and life skills. Each school operates in a classroom provided by the community for 4 hours per day, and each school costs less than $2,000 per year to operate. The return on investment is huge. Reports show that for every additional year a girl receives primary education, her income will increase by 10-20%. She will delay having children and have a smaller, healthier family. Educating out-of-school girls through these accelerated learning schools empowers individual girls, improves female social conditions, and spurs economic development.

Exemplo

The model is simple. These accelerated learning schools for out-of-school girls are very low-cost and only require 5 things: 1. A community supplied space 2. A teacher 3. Basic teacher training 4. Teaching and learning materials 5. Administrative Oversight An educated female is recruited from the community is trained as an accelerated learning teacher. The community agrees to provide a space for the teacher to teach 30 out-of-school girls from the community. These small schools are provided teaching and learning materials. Monitors and the community are entrusted to monitor and evaluate the teacher's performance. The girls will receive a relevant education from day one and will be applying what they have learned both while they are learning and years beyond. The educated and empowered girl's income will increase by 40-80% as a result of graduating from these accelerated learning schools. She will delay having children and have a smaller, healthier family. She has the means to contribute powerfully to her family, community, and country.

Ofertas e demandas

We are currently reaching out to potential strategic partners, including BRAC Haiti and Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Gambia. Both are recognized for outstanding work in education. We seek to work collaboratively rather than competitively with other education NGO's. Our ultimate goal is to educate 6,000 out-of-school girls by 2015 and to educate 100,000 out-of-school girls by 2020. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with individuals and organizations that share a similar goal.