Season greetings!
While working at Microsoft within International IT, I learned how the Gates Foundation was ending the poverty cycle through education. Specifically, girls education.
Much of my work now is about understanding and evolving systems within an organisation (not technology, but systems thinking), and educating girls is one of the key things that helps a country reduce poverty.
So this year, as we have done since 2020, we are not sending gifts, and have instead donated to ONE GIRL, a charity that educates girls in the poorest countries in the world.
The best part - our donation was made on a 'dollar match' day meaning our donation had double the impact 🎉
132 million girls around the world are denied an education
11 million girls may not return to school because of disruptions during COVID-19
One girl to every two boys graduates high school
39% of girls are married before their 18th birthday
13% of girls are married before age 15
However:
A girl's income will increase by 20% with EVERY YEAR of schooling
A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five
A country's GDP rises by 3% when 10% more girls attend school
As a father of three, with the two eldest being girls aged 17 and 15, this makes me very uncomfortable and is another reason why we give to ONE GIRL. Want to learn more?
Watch this one-minute video from Global Citizen, or this three-minute video from Girl Effect. I am away for much of January so the regular blog will resume on February 3rd. I hope you enjoy a restful break and send my best wishes for 2023.