At
the International Convention held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2000 it was
agreed that an International Inner Wheel social project should be established.
Suggestions for a suitable project were received from various countries,
and at the Convention held in Florence, Italy, in 2003 it was announced
that the chosen project would be the UNICEF Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus
programme (MNT) with the aim to eradicate maternal and neonatal tetanus.
In
2006, at the Christchurch Convention, it was agreed that the next International
Social Project would be UNICEF Girls’ Education.
Improving
Girls’ Education in Madagascar
In co-operation with UNICEF,
Inner Wheel is commencing its support to the improvement of girls’
education in Madagascar, more specifically the Vangaindrano district.
A man’s
world
Vangaindrano is one of the areas in Madagascar where the gender gap
in education and in general is the greatest. The status of women in
this region is very low: Women cannot inherit land, and girls in the
secondary school age are most often kept at home to take part in the
heavy household duties and caring for their younger siblings. Moreover,
it is a common tradition here that girls are married off and get pregnant
early, sometimes even before their 14th birthday. These practices nurture
the attitude that women need no further education than being able to
read and write.
Governmental efforts
With this in mind, it is not surprising that very few girls in the district
stay in school after the 5th grade, in spite of the fact that the Malagasy
government has abolished school registration fees. As a matter of fact,
the government has reduced a majority of the expenses for parents connected
with sending their children to school. This has increased the national
enrolment of pupils from 1.9 million in 1997 to 3.8 million in 2006/7,
but Vangaindrano lags behind. This is why UNICEF Madagascar has been
calling attention to the need to look beyond national figures and address
local issues as well.
Twice as many boys in secondary school
A district as remote as Vangaindrano can easily be overlooked when glancing
at the bigger picture. But the truth of the matter is that twice as
many boys than girls are enrolled in secondary school in Vangaindrano.
This is a number not visible in national statistics.
That is why Inner Wheel and UNICEF find it important to support the
girls of this region and give them a chance to complete lower secondary
school as a minimum. The overall goal is for at least 1,300 girls from
vulnerable families or remote areas to enrol in secondary school by
the end of 2010 – compared to the current situation, this will
be a doubling of the amount of girls in secondary school.
Girls helping girls
These girls will receive specific support such as scholarships and cash
transfers in order to stay in school. Another method proven to be effective
is a girl-to-girl mentorship activity that was already implemented by
UNICEF for the first time on Madagascar in 2002. Here the elder girls
are paired up with susceptible girls from the lower grades. The elder
girls help the young girls with homework, getting safe to and from school
and so on. This keeps the smaller girls from repeating the same grade
twice – the current repetition rate is 20 percent - and gives
the elder girls a boost of self-confidence. After the project has begun
in July 2008, this strategy will be implemented in all primary schools
and benefit more than 5,000 girls.
It takes a village
Keeping the young teenage girls in school is also dependant on attitude
change in the local communities. Involving the community and making
it take ownership of the project is essential. UNICEFs concept “Contract
for School Success” enables the pupils, parents, teachers, and
community authorities to come together and discuss how to improve the
situation of education. It is also significant to raise awareness of
equality between the genders in this forum. UNICEF has produced a series
of communication materials on the subject matter based on recent studies
of gender and education. This will be shared with teachers and community
authorities.
A school fit for children
The project, which will be an integrated part of the education program
UNICEF Madagascar is already executing, will also evolve around improving
the study environment of the schools for both boys and girls in Vangaindrano.
This includes teacher training, establishing libraries, sports activities,
water and sanitation in schools, transportation and the adaption of
life skills through role play, class discussions and practical exercises.
It is expected that more than 42,000 boys and girls will be attending
more child-friendly schools when the Inner Wheel involvement comes to
an end in 2010.
Strengthening all of Madagascar
The island of Madagascar, situated in the Indian Ocean off the east
coast of Africa, is one of the least developed countries in the world
with 70 percent of the citizens having to struggle with less than one
dollar per day. The government is fully aware of the fact that access
to education is directly linked to economic growth. Hence the country’s
great progress in expanding access to primary education in recent years.
But it is also internationally recognized that girls’ education
leads to an improved economic growth – and not only that: Children
of educated women grow up to be healthier and a greater asset for society.
Ensuring girls’ right to education on Madagascar is therefore
not only an advantage for each girl influenced by the help from Inner
Wheel and UNICEF. The Malagasy society as a whole will also benefit.
Speech
given to launch the project
"Nothinghas as remarkable
an impact on children and young people as a good education. It enables
them to make genuine choices over the kind of lives that they wish to
lead and ultimately opens an infinite number of doors that otherwise
would very probably remain closed.
For more than 130 million 6-11 year old children, almost 60% of which
are girls, the doors remain firmly shut, as their fundamental human
right to education is denied. By the age of 18, girls have received
on average 4.5 years less education than boys.
Denying girls of their right to a quality education effectively denies
them of all other human rights and diminishes the chances of succeeding
generations, particularly those of their daughters, to develop to their
fullest potential.
In every region of the world, gender discrimination is pervasive and
persistent, affecting all aspects of the lives of women and girls. Its
powerful influence on a young girl’s life is evident as families
decide whether daughters should attend school - Poverty; Cultural practices
and traditions; HIV/AIDS; lack of employment opportunities; distance
from home - are all factors.
When they do make it to school they struggle with systems ill-suited
to their needs – lack of textbooks; sexual harassment; insecurity
and inappropriate facilities.
The loss of potential is not only for girls, as the social and economic
benefits of an educated female population have been documented in many
countries, as have the positive effects that accrue for all students
– boys as well as girls – when educational systems are free
of gender bias. When a society educates girls it is one of the best
investments it can make. An educated woman has the skills, information
and self-confidence she needs to be a better parent, worker and citizen.
Educating girls educates nations.
An educated woman tends to make more independent personal, economic
and political decisions; she is able to stand up for herself and make
healthy choices such as protecting herself and her children - especially
from HIV/AIDS - and she will encourage her children to be well educated.
An educated mother tends to be healthier and raise a healthier family;
she often marries later which will dramatically reduce her risk of developing
infection and dying during childbirth and her babies are more likely
to survive the first year of life. She will most probably breast feed
her children and they in turn are more likely to be immunized and be
better nourished. The family income increases as educated women are
more productive at home and better paid in the workplace. This in turn
can help eradicate poverty; promote peace; decrease social burdens on
governments and produces a larger and better prepared workforce.
So what is necessary to bridge the gender gap? The most vulnerable children
must be included; the reasons why girls are not enrolled and why they
do not succeed as well as boys must be understood. Education should
be free or low cost; there should be alternative programmes and flexible
schedules. Learning environments should be safe and parental involvement
encouraged. More female role models in education, bias-free curricular
and textbooks and a commitment to quality are all major factors.
Women have emerged as major agents of social progress – as citizens,
community leaders and mothers. Their education is critical to sustaining
this momentum. Without swift and concerted action, another generation
of girls will be left in the margins, their human rights unfulfilled.
The most urgent priority is to ensure access to, and improve the quality
of, education for girls and women, and to remove every obstacle that
hampers their active participation.
We are so fortunate to have received a good education; let us help to
ensure that it is the norm for every girl. When you return to your Clubs
please talk to your members, enthuse them and encourage them positively
to support this most important project. Now it is up to you and remember:-
Inner Wheel members make a difference!
Inner Wheel changes lives!"
Donations
(made payable to International Inner Wheel) should be sent to International
Inner Wheel Headquarters office.
