We know that you understand the importance of education for kids in rural Guatemala, and especially for the chicas.
But did you know that USAID has stated that “educating girls yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world”? Well, now you do!
Indigenous girls in rural Guatemala are at the very bottom of the social and economic hierarchy. From the time they are born, they face a life of poverty, discrimination, and illiteracy. Fewer than 1 in 10 girls graduate from high school, and more than half are married by age 18. Because school is expensive, many parents can only afford to send a few of their children to school, and oftentimes, that means the boys go school while the girls stay at home. In some of the communities we serve, there are 14 boys in school for every 10 girls.
The mentality that boys have more of a right to study than girls hurts our students and prevents girls in Guatemala from reaching their full potential.
Thankfully, donors like you are stepping up to support our Thousand Girls Initiative, a massive expansion of our Scholarship & Youth Development Program that will help 1,000 girls stay in school and graduate! This targeted approach will provide so many needed opportunities for girls in Guatemala, and it’s only possible with your help. We have already made great strides since the Thousand Girls Initiative was launched in 2015…and today we have even more good news!
© Rebecca Wilks, Skyline Images
An initiative this thrilling calls for some great collaborations, so we’ve applied and been accepted to Girls CHARGE: a collaborative of over 60 companies, nonprofits, and governments dedicated to girls’ education around the world. CHARGE stands for Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls’ Education. The initiative is working over a time span of 5 years to bring educational opportunities to 14 million girls worldwide!
CoEd is joining the CHARGE to gain access to helpful resources and attend collaborative meetings with other groups that are working to give girls access to quality education. The CHARGE will help us stay at the forefront of this developing field, keep up with best practices, and share ideas with a diverse group of organizations that are facing similar challenges around the world.
© Rebecca Wilks, Skyline Images
Girls CHARGE allows CoEd to work with many partners, but our most precious and valued partner is YOU! To all of you who have sponsored a student, or supported the Thousand Girls Initiative in another way, THANK YOU.
If you haven’t yet joined this global movement to help girls around the world receive an education and become the best versions of themselves—what are you waiting for?
We’ve got lots of bright young students who need your help.
