CAI works to advance education for both girls and boys . Yet our emphasis on educating girls is not only to level the playing field between males and females in terms of literacy , employment , personal freedom , and opportunity . It is also to unlock the transformational power of an educated girl to bring about a better world for all . •
Photo left by Erik Petersen , right by Lynzy Billing
THE GIRL FACTOR
That ’ s where the girl factor comes in . CAI ’ s theory of change has long been , “ Educate a girl . Change the world .” It ’ s not just a catchy phrase . There is hard evidence behind these six words ; evidence that the solutions to the greatest issues we face as humans require an educated female populace ; evidence that has only continued to mount in the 28 years since CAI got its start in 1996 .
CAI ’ s educational mission benefits males and females alike , and in the past two decades , countless girls , boys , women , and men living in marginalized , underserved communities have benefited from our programs . Yet in delivering education and jobs skills to these areas , our goal is not just to advance education for all . We also seek to capitalize on the transformative power of girls ’ education — a superpower that many countries ( including the ones we serve ) have yet to unleash , and without which they cannot overcome broader socio-economic problems .
Afghanistan and Pakistan have some of the highest per capita rates of out of school children in the world . In both countries , girls make up the majority of out of school children , especially in rural areas and at the secondary ( high school ) level . In Afghanistan , as of 2023 , 80 % of school-aged girls and young women ( 2.5 million females ) were out of school . iii Of the estimated 22.8 million children who are out of school in Pakistan — the country with the second highest number of out of school children in the world — more than half are girls . iv While female enrollment is far better
in Tajikistan , dropout rates among girls are significantly higher than boys , with 40 % dropping out by 10th grade . v
In addition to unequal access to education , women in the regions we serve also lag significantly behind men in terms of workforce participation . In Pakistan , for example , only 25 % of women work , far below countries with similar income levels . In Afghanistan , the Taliban ’ s ban on women ’ s rights to education and work has drastically reduced the already small percentage of employed women . At a time when Afghans are already suffering from soaring poverty and startling levels of food insecurity , the inability of women to contribute to their families ’ income is worsening the suffering of all Afghans .
The potential of an educated girl is significant in so many other ways . Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to have healthier , more spread-out births . vi As mothers , educated girls have healthier families . There is even a growing body of evidence that one of the most effective strategies for combatting climate change is to educate girls . vii
CAI works to advance education for both girls and boys . Yet our emphasis on educating girls is not only to level the playing field between males and females in terms of literacy , employment , personal freedom , and opportunity . It is also to unlock the transformational power of an educated girl to bring about a better world for all . •
i
World Economic Forum , “ Global Gender Gap 2024 Insight Report ,” June 2024 . https :// www . weforum . org / publications / global-gender-gap-report-2024 / ii
International Monetary Fund , " Pursuing Women ' s Economic Empowerment ," 2018 . https :// www . imf . org / en / Publications / Policy-Papers / Issues / 2018 / 05 / 31 / pp053118pursuing-womens-economic-empowerment iii
UNESCO , “ Let Girls and Women in Afghanistan Learn ,” 2023 . https :// www . unesco . org / en / articles / let-girls-and-women-afghanistan-learn iv
UNICEF , https :// www . unicef . org / pakistan / education v
UNICEF , https :// www . unicef . org / tajikistan / access-education vi
World Bank Blogs , " Female Education and Childbearing : A Closer Look at the Data ," Elina Pradhan , 2015 . https :// blogs . worldbank . org / en / health / female-educationand-childbearing-closer-look-data . vii
Brookings , " Commentary : Why is Girls ' Education Important for Climate Action ?" Christina Kwauk , 2021 . https :// www . brookings . edu / articles / why-is-girls-educationimportant-for-climate-action /
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