Girls' education is the world's best investment.

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Guatemalan Girls Are Not in School

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In Guatemala, girls are not traditionally supported in their desire to go to school. Often, when parents have to decide which child to educate on their meager earnings, they prioritize the boys, and the girls get left behind. In some parts of Guatemala (where we work), there is a boy and a half in school for every girl. In Guatemala as a whole, 80% of men are literate, compared to 58% of women.

Educated Girls Change the World

According to a growing number of experts, “girls’ education is the world’s best investment with the widest ranging returns” (What Works in Girls’ Education). Educating girls

improves the health and survival rates of infants and children
leads to higher rates of school attendance and completion in the next generation
improves the status of women within families, communities, and the political arena
and much more!

The Thousand Girls Initiative:

A Major Expansion of the Rise Youth Development Program

Help empower a new generation of educated Guatemalan women! The Thousand Girls Initiative is a massive expansion of the Rise Youth Development Program that will help 1,000 girls and 250 boys across the country rise out of poverty for good.

Never Forgetting the Boys

Why include 250 boys in the Thousand Girls Initiative? We believe that all children born into the cycle of poverty deserve the opportunity to rise above their current circumstances. Plus, when girls and boys learn together, they learn from each other, too.

Supported by Rotary

This initiative has been brought to life through collaboration with Rotary clubs, districts, and individual support around the world. To learn more about Rotary’s involvement, visit the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP).