Advancing Gender Equity in Education
An educated girl will open doors for herself
In the developing world, gender parity in education is as elusive as ever, and girls continue to systematically lose out on the benefits that an education affords. According to UNICEF: “For every 100 boys out of school, there are 115 girls in the same situation. Nearly 1 of every 5 girls who enrolls in primary school in developing countries does not complete a primary education.” Missing out on a primary education deprives a girl of the opportunity to develop to her full potential, and locks her into a vicious cycle of poverty. Vision Builders provides support services to clear roadblocks so that girls can enroll and remain in school.
Named for the late Jeane Kirkpatrick, former US Ambassador to the United Nations (and mother of Vision Builders’ founder), this program offers girls in the developing world the opportunity of higher education. Dr. Kirkpatrick, in addition to her accomplishments as a trailblazer for women in American politics, was a lifelong scholar who believed passionately in the tremendous importance of educating girls. Her own girlhood love of books, learning and critical thinking, would eventually grow into a larger view: in order to promote the stability and advancement of societies, we must educate girls. She spoke both privately and publicly on the importance of gender parity in education, particularly in developing and unstable regions. This scholarship program ensures that girls with the desire for higher studies are not stopped short by poverty.
One Girl’s Story…
Tsering (pictured here) has completed her training in nursing school, thanks to the Jeane Kirkpatrick Scholarship Fund. Fluent in English and Tibetan, Tsering has served as a translator for Vision Builders medical professionals visiting the Medical Clinic at Payingdem village. She assisted staff in medical exams and administered a survey to assess medical needs in the area. She is kind, intelligent and motivated. Now that Tsering has completed her studies, she gives back to her community by providing nursing care at the Payingdem clinic.
