You Can Sponsor a Girl with GFA World
Despite development and progress, gender inequality—especially in education—still affects many around the world, so choosing to sponsor a girl can make a big impact. Globally, about 129 million girls are not in school.[1] This includes 30 million girls of primary school age, 30 million of lower-secondary school age and 67 million of upper-secondary school age. The reasons for this are numerous and vary between countries and communities. Their absence from school could be because of conflict, poverty, child marriage or gender-based violence. Often, poor families favor boys when investing in education. In some places, the schools fail to meet the safety, hygiene or sanitation needs of girls. In other areas, the teaching strategies are not gender-responsive, resulting in gaps between boys and girls in learning and developing skills.[2]
Failing to educate girls leads to many problems, including continuing the poverty cycle, child marriages and young motherhood.
A World Bank study of data from 15 sub-Saharan African countries showed that girls who marry young are significantly less likely to complete their educations, which lowers their future earning potential.[3] This ripples into the next generation as the children of young, uneducated mothers have lower education prospects for themselves, leading to more poverty. According to the study, each additional year of secondary school attendance substantially reduced the chance of girls being married before the age of 18.[4] Each year of secondary school attendance was also found to reduce the likelihood of girls giving birth before age 18, contributing to safer pregnancies and healthier newborns.[5]
Thus, as organizations work with people around the world to sponsor a girl, education is crucially important in changing these young lives. GFA World’s Child Sponsorship Program doesn’t stop there, though. Our program offers education support, but we also provide vital necessities according to the needs of the community like clean water, food, healthcare and hygiene training.[6] This type of assistance often takes financial pressure off a family, helping children to remain in school. When these needs are met, the girls and boys can dream of better futures for themselves and their families. Education opens many new opportunities that were closed before.
When you sponsor a girl to go to school, that child will benefit greatly. That was the case for eleven-year-old Ragna.
Being the oldest child, her mother relied on her help for many of the family chores: collecting wood and water, cleaning and taking care of her siblings. School was not part of her life at all. Despite a desire for his children to be educated, Ragna’s father lacked the funds and resources to make it happen. One day, a local worker from GFA’s Child Sponsorship Program visited Ragna’s home. She spoke with the girl’s parents about the important role of education in finding higher-paying jobs and opportunities. But Ragna’s mother, like many others around the world, could not see the point. Going to school would only waste Ragna’s time because she would just get married and be at home after that.
Despite his wife’s objections, Ragna’s father allowed her to join the program and attend school. In the program, she received tutoring assistance and supplies that her family would never have been able to afford. The staff also invested in character development, setting Ragna on a path to a bright future that was much different than her family’s situation. Over time, her mother saw how great the program was for Ragna. The girl especially loved math and said she was interested in becoming a teacher. The benefits of the program were so great, Ragna’s parents later enrolled their son as well.[7]
To sponsor a girl like Ragna is to change her life and give her the ability to choose a bright path for the future. Through the sponsorship program, children learn the vital skills of reading, writing and math, and they even get the chance to move on to higher education, opening job opportunities that would otherwise be impossible. These jobs can break the cycle of poverty for their families.[8]Indeed, a study on Compassion International’s sponsorship program showed that sponsorship increased the chances of salaried employment by 5.1 to 6.3 percent, and the chances of white-collar employment rose by 6.5 to 6.7 percent.[9]
With our Child Sponsorship Program, you can sponsor a girl in Africa or Asia and make a way for them to go to school. Not only that, but entire families and communities are impacted by the help and hope the program provides. Our program staff work with community leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs in the area. These can be a lack of water, food or healthcare.[10] Improving entire communities allows the children the freedom to focus on education instead of basic survival, and it shows the children the love of God at work. This ministry cannot happen on its own. GFA relies on people around the world to sponsor a girl or boy and open these doors for education and community development. It does not take much—just $35 a month
Learn more about child sponsorship models[1] “Girls’ Education.” UNICEF. Accessed August 5, 2023. https://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education.
[2] Ibid.
[3] John, Neetu. “Is Girls Education the Key to Ending Child Marriage?” Women Deliver. January 28, 2018. https://womendeliver.org/girls-education-key-ending-child-marriage/.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Sponsor a Child with GFA World.” GFA World. Accessed August 5, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/.
[7] “Education Opens Door for Girls Future.” GFA World. February 2023. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/education-opens-doors-for-girls-future-wfr23-02/.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Wydick, Bruce; Glewwe, Paul; and Rutledge, Laine. “Does international child sponsorship work? A six-country study of impacts on adult life outcomes.” The University of Chicago Press. April 2013. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/670138#_i37.
[10] “Sponsor a Child with GFA World.” GFA World. Accessed August 5, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/.