Four impacts of investing in girls’ education

Debborah Odenyi and Rebecca Crook break down girls’ education in Kenya

Debborah Odenyi and Rebecca Crook grew up across the world from each other. Rebecca in California, Debborah in rural Kenya. Yet they joined us on Breaking Glass to speak about each of their journeys to Nairobi, where they found their respective paths to working in education. Rebecca is the co-founder of Metis Collective, an organization that identifies and mobilizes local leaders to transform the education system in Kenya. Debborah is a former teacher and administrator, who is currently working as an education consultant for Girl Rising, an international organization harnessing the power of storytelling to change the way the world values girls and their education. Today, these women are educating us on the barriers girls face and the systems that need to change. Below, they share a list of critical impacts that educating girls can have on society at large. 

1. Delayed Marriage – When girls stay in school longer, they spend more years learning and get married later in life. This means lower rates of child marriage and greater capacity for girls to make decisions about when they marry and who.
2. Healthier Children – As girls get married later, they also wait to have children until later in life. This generally results in safer pregnancies and higher rates of child survival. 
3. Healthier Self – Girls who stay in school longer gain more knowledge about personal health and hygiene. They also gain the literacy and critical thinking skills necessary to navigate health systems and advocate for their own well being.
4. Increased Family Income – Girls who are educated are able to get better-paying jobs. In many cultures, these girls will bring up to 90% of their income back home to their families, which adds to the familial wealth overall and can benefit generations to come.

To learn more about the importance of girls’ education, advocacy work currently being done, and how you can help, visit the following websites: http://metiscollective.org/ , https://malala.org/girls-education , https://girlrising.org/