Why Girls?

Girls are uniquely poised to lift themselves—and their community—out of poverty

Girls living in poverty are uniquely capable of creating a better future for themselves, their families, their communities, and the world.

• UNESCO reports that one of every five people over the age of 15 is illiterate, 64% of the world’s illiterate are women, and nearly 60% of the estimated 113 million children who do not attend primary school worldwide are girls.
• UNICEF states, “education, especially for girls and mothers, will save children’s lives.”
• For every development dollar spent, girls receive less than one half of one cent.
• A woman or girl will reinvest 90% of her income into her family. A man will reinvest 30 – 40%.
• When girls have received 7 or more years of education, they marry 4 years later and have 2.2 fewer children.
• An extra year of primary school raises a girl’s lifetime wages by 10 – 20%.
• An extra year of secondary school raises a girl’s lifetime wages by 15 – 25%.