The Need for Girls' Education

Right now, more than 98 million adolescent girls around the world are not in school. This is a crisis and we know the single best approach to improving the status of women is through education. Yet, girls are disadvantaged when it comes to getting an education. Cultural bias, gender discrimination and safety concerns discourage girls from learning, and these pressures become even more pronounced when girls reach secondary school.

Room to Read's Girls’ Education Program was founded with the belief that educated women can change the world. Educated women are healthier, earn more income for their families, and are greater contributors to their community and country.

Inside Room to Read's Girls' Education Program

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Four Key Components to Girls' Education

Engaging the Family, School and Community

Our work with families, schools and communities aims to create environments that support girls’ success in school and beyond. To engage these stakeholders, we hold workshops and community meetings where parents and caretakers can discuss the importance of sending all of their children — not just the boys — to school, and the challenges they face. Our program alumnae also participate, serving as valuable role models for younger girls, and often contributing as mentors and guest speakers.

Parent Engagement in Girls' Education in Tanzania

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The End of Impossible

Some think putting an end to illiteracy and gender inequality in our lifetime is impossible. But not Room to Read. We are fighting against gender inequality in education. We just need the funds to do it. Let’s reverse the notion that the end to these challenges is impossible.

One of the most important investments we can make is ensuring that girls are able to stay in school, advocate for themselves and navigate life's most difficult decisions. It costs just $25 a month to give a girl everything she needs to stay in school.

Powerful Partnerships

Create World Change

With your support we can scale faster and transform communities across the globe. Help us reach more children more quickly.

Transformational Giving

We invest in girls’ education for long-term, systemic change. That means sustaining our programs for years, if not decades, and scaling them to a country’s need. To these ends, we focus on girls’ transitions into and through secondary school — that’s where the biggest and most permanent gaps in gender equality in education take place. We also collaborate with government officials at the local, regional and national levels to promote girl-friendly learning environments. These partnerships ensure that our program is complementary of national efforts, sustainable and nationally scalable.