Greg Mortensen with schoolgirl in Gumran Middle School , Logar Province , Afghanistan . © May 2014 Lorenzo Tugnoli
corruption , I believe one of the most effective force multipliers to bring social change and the betterment of society is girls ’ education .
Numerous global studies have shown that investing in girls ’ education yields huge returns , in all categories : socioeconomic , health , population growth , marriage age , and politics . In simple terms , girls ’ education empowers women to make their own decisions . It gives them choices . It is a powerful force to alleviate poverty .
There is no religion that prohibits education of girls or boys . In the case of Islam , the first word of the revelation to Mohammad the Prophet is “ Iqra ,” which means “ to read .” And in the hadiths ( Islamic teachings ), the quest for knowledge is mandatory for all people .
Here are some specific and important reasons why girls ’ education is vital to social cohesion , stability , and the future of our planet :
A single educated boy might leave his village . But an educated mother is more likely to stay , and to encourage her children to go to school . h
SOCIOECONOMIC
� Girls ’ education leads to increased income for the girls themselves and for nations as a whole . Increasing the share of women with a secondary education by 1 percent boosts annual per capita income growth by 0.3 percent . That ’ s significant , since per capita income gains in developing countries seldom exceed 3 percent a year .
� Educating girls boosts farming productivity and better nutrition . Educated farmers are more efficient and their farms are more productive , which leads to increased crop yields and declines in malnutrition .
MATERNAL AND HEALTH CARE
� Educated women have smaller , healthier and better-educated families .
� The better educated the women in a society , the lower the fertility rate . A 2000 study in Brazil found that literate women had an average of 2.5 children while illiterate women had an average of 6 children .
� The better educated the women , the lower the infant mortality rate . “ The mother ’ s education is often the single most important influence on children ’ s survival ,” according to The Council on Foreign Relations ’ What Works in Girls ’ Education . “ Primary education alone helps reduce infant mortality significantly , and secondary education helps even more . Educated mothers learn how to keep their children healthy and how to secure necessary support for their children — by using health services , improving nutrition
48 | Journey of Hope C E N T R A L A S I A I N S T I T U T E