Girls Transforming Nations By Going To School (NAPSA)—What’s good for girls turns out to be good for their nations—and the whole world: countries makinggirls’ education a priority. According to research by Save the Children, the progress seen in countries such as South Korea and Thailand that made these investments in the 1950s demonstrates how providing a quality education for girls can help to break the cycle of poverty and improve the health of their families for generations to come. When educated girls become mothers, they tend to have fewer children, provide better health care and nutrition for their children and are more likely to send their children to school. Educating girls also contributes to lowering rates of child mortality, preventing the spread of HIV, combating poverty and promotingpolitical stability. Yet while total school enrollments have risen recently in every region in the world, the difference in boys’ andgirls’ enrollment rates continues to be significant. In all, about 58 million girls of primary school age are not in school and many girls who enroll in primary school leave after just a year or two of education. There are many reasons for girls to attend school but here are the top 5: 1. The more timegirls spend in school the more likely they are to grow up to be healthy, well-nour- WhenGirls Are Educated, 100 More Children Survive 50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Niger Haiti Senegal Bangladesh United States [J Girls’ primary school net enrollment [EG Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 live births ished and economically empowered. 2. Girls’ education leads to increased income—both for individuals and for nations as a whole. 3. Educated girls marry later and are more likely to use voluntary family planning to delay and space their births, and are more likely to send their own children to school, includinggirls. 4. Education gives girls selfconfidence andpractical skills. 5. Girls’ education is a powerful and proven investment, says Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers 2005 report. To do more or learn more, visit www.savethechildren.org.
