Caring Causes: Back-to-School Initiatives

Did you know that 130 million children around the world are not in school, 70% of which are girls? According to World Bank, a girl with an extra year of education can earn 20% more as an adult, and according to UNICEF, educated mothers are more than twice as likely to send their children to school. This can help create a cycle of education, breaking families out of a cycle of poverty.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, schools aren't free - even public schools have big costs including fees, uniform, books, food, shoes, extra teacher payments, etc. Families need to cover up to 30% of primary education expenses, which is the number one reason many African families don't send their children to school. Plus, rural communities often have access to education facilities. Opportunity International is launching a back-to-school campaign to help raise funds to send children to school. You can donate as little as $1 day, and donations up to $35,000 will be matched. Opportunity International funds micro-loans for parents ($240 is an average amount to send kids to school for a year) and also provides funds to help quality schools open in areas without education facilities. Programs exist in Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Dominican Republic and Rwanda.

End 7 also wants to make it easier for people to attend school, by ending 7 common diseases by 2020. It takes just 50 cents to protect and treat a child for a year, reducing school absences due to Neglected Tropical Diseases, which currently affect 500 million children. Roundworm, whipworm, hookworm, snail fever, elephantiasis, trachoma, and river blindness contribute to conditions such as malnutrition, blindness, swelling, anemia, and more. They also weaken the immune system, which can contribute to difficulties fighting off other illnesses, or increase the severity of conditions such as HIV and AIDS. You can help End 7 create more bookworms, and fewer intestinal worms.