What Are the Key Factors in How Lack of Education Causes Poverty?
There are many key factors in how lack of education causes poverty. Here are a few:
One key factor is that without education, people lack the skills to do more.
Most people in developing countries who lack education work in day laboring. This often backbreaking work pays little and rarely meets the financial needs of a family. Unable to read or write, they have little hope of ever changing their life or making more money to supply for their needs.
Another factor is that lack of education impacts health.
Families who are educated are often healthier because they can afford healthcare, make better decisions about their health and have access to better resources. Something as simple as literacy impacts health too. When a mother is literate, her child is 50 percent more likely to live past age five.[1]
Third, a lack of education impacts a community and the society as a whole.
In school, children learn virtues like honesty, how to form healthy relationships, diligence, respect and so on. Without these values, a society falters. Education also fosters confidence and hope! Children begin to dream outside of their current circumstances.
“Education is fundamental to sustainable development, it is a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health; it enables people to be more productive, to earn a better living and enjoy a better quality of life, while also contributing to a country’s overall economic growth.”[2]
At GFA World, we provide educational opportunities for adults and children.
For children, we provide ways for them to attend school by helping with the costs and providing supplies and tutoring. Children in our sponsorship program also have the support of caring adults to motivate and encourage them in their studies.
For adults, our literacy classes have been very successful in giving men and women the skills they need in literacy and math. This allows them to be more than day laborers. It also gives them more confidence in everyday life—reading street signs, medical information, contracts, agreements and helping their children with their schoolwork. People are less likely to be taken advantage of in the marketplace if they have basic skills in math and reading.
Join GFA’s efforts to help find solutions that bring hope to those who are suffering.
What is the cause of poverty? Find out how GFA is helping people in South Asia and Africa[1] “The Positive Effects of Education.” Borgen Magazine. August 11, 2014. http://www.borgenmagazine.com/positive-effects-education.
[2] “The Impact of Education.” Schools & Health. June 2018. https://schoolsandhealth.net/Pages/education.html.