You’ve heard that education is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against poverty—but why? And what does it look like to empower kids with education? We’re so glad you’re here to learn more about education and choose a way to respond!
On this page:
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Ways you can respond today
We need people like you to share about this important issue. You can use your influence to educate others on the importance of education.
We need people who will raise funds to enable our local church partners around the world to provide kids with the educational support they need. You can use your influence to fundraise.
Wherever there is great need, we need people of prayer. You can use your influence by committing to a four-week prayer journey on the topic of education.
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Start with some stats
Here’s the basics of the problem: globally, roughly one in five school-aged children are not in school. And even for those who are in school, learning outcomes are not always achieved. Globally, approximately 617 million children and youth are unable to reach minimum proficiency levels in reading and math, even though two-thirds of them are in school.
COVID-19’s impact on education
That was before the pandemic. Now, pandemic-related impacts on education have made things worse. UNICEF estimates that more than 1 billion children are at risk of falling behind due to pandemic-related education interruptions. Even though many countries instituted remote learning solutions, at least 500 million children and youth are not reached by those solutions.
In 2020, approximately 101 million additional children and youth fell below minimum reading proficiency levels.
The consequences are already evident: globally, approximately 101 million additional children and youth fell below minimum reading proficiency levels due to COVID-19 in 2020, wiping out education gains achieved over the last 20 years.
Girls’ education
For girls, there are even more barriers to education. According to UNICEF, only 66 per cent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education. The effects are evident: Most of the 773 million illiterate adults around the world are women.
UNESCO estimates that 11 million girls will leave school permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s vital that girls get access to education. The impacts are huge! UN Women reports that every additional year of primary school increases a girl’s eventual wages by 10 to 20 per cent. Increased education also encourages girls to marry later and have fewer children and makes them less vulnerable to violence.
See the impact through video
When you think about providing education for kids in poverty, you probably think of paying school fees, buying uniforms and school supplies or providing educational support like tutoring, textbooks and computers. And while all those things are important parts of Compassion’s program, they are not the only way education can transform the lives of kids in poverty!
Vocational training for youth is a big part of Compassion’s program and helps teens gain valuable skills for the future.
Watch these videos to learn about three awesome examples of how vocational training is equipping Compassion kids for a future free from poverty:
Step into their stories
Explore the stories of children and their communities around the world and learn about why education gifts matter.
How do you do remote learning when you don’t have a computer?
What happens when kids in poverty get education
The future is bright when kids in poverty get an education
Respond
Ready to take action? Choose a way to respond and empower kids with education…
We need people like you to share about this important issue. You can use your influence to educate others on the importance of education.
We need people who will raise funds to enable our local church partners around the world to provide kids with the educational support they need. You can use your influence to fundraise.
Wherever there is great need, we need people of prayer. You can use your influence by committing to a four-week prayer journey on the topic of education.
