Monday, April 16, 2012

You can ensure 834 girls Stay in School



As per the All India Education Survey 2002, “only half of India’s girls enroll themselves in school. While the remaining half drop out before they graduate Class 10”. The reasons being-

Early Marriage: In rural India, families live with modest means, and girl child education is hardly a priority. But marriage is. And since marriage brings the burden of domestic work and rearing a family, several girls are forced to drop out of school.

Child Labor: Facing abject poverty, parents often resort to sending their girls to work thereby ending their hopes of finishing school. This makes them bound to labor, with no hope of ever being independent.

Discrimination: Some families that can afford to send their children to school favour their sons over daughters, causing them to stay at home while their brothers attend school.

No Toilets: Lack of separate toilets for boys and girls is one of the leading causes for girls to drop out. The discomfort of sharing a toilet with their fellow classmates and teachers often compels them to give up on school altogether.

No Schools nearby: For many girls, their reason for dropping out is simple -the village school is just too far. Parents, worried for their safety, prefer to have them stay at home than risk traveling the distance alone.

We, at CRY America, strongly believe that when a girl is able to go to school, she sets off a cycle of positive change which gives her the strength and skill to fight gender bias and change the course of her life. Our recent initiative, ‘Stay in School’ campaign is about ensuring 834 girl children across 53 villages do not drop out of school and receive  quality access to education for a year. All we need is $30,000 to achieve it. 

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