Education is an important area of focus for improving the quality of living for people living in poverty. There are millions of people living both domestically and abroad, who are homeless and struggling with food insecurity. Education is key for getting those people jobs that pay enough to live comfortably on. Of particular importance, is the education of young girls.
Across the world, 130 million girls are not enrolled in school. Especially in countries affected by conflict, girls are at a higher risk than boys to drop out, due to forced marriage, pregnancy, or family pressure. If more girls complete a secondary education, child marriage rates and child deaths would go down, and wages for women would increase globally.
The Keeping Girls in School Act empowers girls across the globe by increasing educational opportunities and economic security. This would have a collective economic benefit that could lift households, communities and nations out of poverty. It’s an important element of U.S. foreign policy objectives, and it should be supported.
The non-profit organization, The Borgen Project, supports The Keeping Girls in School Act, and many others that aim for the reduction of poverty and food insecurity across the world. I urge people to contact their Congressional leaders, such as California’s Senators, Sen. Dianne Feinstein or Sen. Kamala Harris, to ask them to support and cosponsor The Keeping Girls in School Act.
Rhea Ferrer resides in Chula Vista.
