and sanitation and taking advantage of their own increased earning capability. Girls who stay in school also marry later, when they are better able to bear and care for children.”
� By increasing health care knowledge and reducing the number of pregnancies, female education significantly reduces the risk of maternal mortality.
� Educated women are more likely to insist on education for their own children, especially their daughters. Their children study as much as two hours more each day than children of illiterate mothers and stay in school longer.
WOMEN’ S EMPOWERMENT
� Educated girls and women are more likely to stand up for themselves and resist violence:“ In poor areas where women are isolated within their communities, have little education and cannot earn much, girls and women are often regarded as an economic burden and sometimes suffer deliberate neglect or outright harm.”
� Educated women channel more of their resources to the health and education of their children than men.
� Educated women are more likely to participate in political discussions, meetings and decision-making.
� Studies show that education promotes more representative, effective government. As women are educated and approach parity with men, research shows that“ governments and other institutions function better and with less corruption.” y
If you are interested in hearing about CAI’ s international efforts, there are several ways we can work together:
Videos: CAI has posted numerous videos about our work online, including several that expand on the stories in this year’ s Journey of Hope. In addition, we are producing new, high-quality videos that we are eager to share. These new videos will be available online this winter, at the CAI website, www. ikat. org, and on YouTube and Vimeo. We would also be happy to send you DVD copies for use in classrooms, club meetings, and even at gatherings in your home. For more information, contact Communications Director Karin Ronnow at karin @ ikat. org.
Speakers: Depending on availability, we may be able to send a CAI representative to your town to talk about our work promoting education in some of the Last Best Places. If you are interested in having Greg Mortenson or someone else from the organization come and speak at your school or in another venue, please contact Karin at karin @ ikat. org.
Sources: The Council on Foreign Relations’ What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence and Policies from the Developing World; The World Bank; UNESCO
See a video of students on a typical school day at a CAI-supported project in northeast Afghanistan:
https:// www. youtube. com / watch? v = kxcXLOm1pgc
Students recite passages from the Qur ' an outside the Ishkashim Girls ' High School in Afghanistan.
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