Education encourages development and empowers children.
Social and Human Development
Illiteracy contributes more than any other factor to the sluggish development of a country, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate poverty.
India is home to the largest illiterate population in the world. 237 million of its adults cannot read or write. Most schools in India are run by the government, however the public education system suffers from poor infrastructure, insufficient funding, a shortage of staff, and scarce facilities.
Literacy is key to the health of a country. Literacy promotes community involvement, civic participation, good health and hygiene, gender equality, healthy population growth, and economic stability.
Empowered Children
Children account for more than one-third of India’s population, numbering in at 400 million. To put this in perspective, this is nearly 100 million more than the entire US population. Of those 400 million children, at least 35 million are uneducated due to failing schools, high drop out rates, and parents’ inability to afford uniforms and textbooks.
There are 12 million child laborers in India. One in two girls enter into arranged marriages years shy of their 18th birthdays. 20% of India’s prostitutes are children. All of these numbers would decrease up to 90% with reliable, affordable education. Well-run schools protect children from the ill effects of poverty, and give them opportunity to pursue their dreams.
When A Village Benefits From A School Project
A child wakes up to the excited chatter of children down the road.
30 children gather in front of a Mercy School outfitted with colorful rugs, posters, a chalkboard, books, and school supplies.
An administrator takes each child’s name and age and hands them books and a uniform. They are invited to begin their first year of school. Cost = Free.
The children spend the morning and afternoon learning English, math, and life skills, breaking for a free, hot lunch at midday.
After class, the children run home and ‘play school,’ using rocks for desks and a pretend chalkboard.
A village community shares one less worry. Their children have an opportunity to learn and escape poverty. Change is inevitable.
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation.”
– John F. Kennedy
A Child Changed with $1 a Day
A daily investment of about $1 provides an accredited education, free meal, and free medical care to a poor child in India. A child’s education promises the child a better future and encourages the healthy development of her community.