Donate to Decrease Lack of Education
By: Ronan Bennett
In 2015, the number of illiterate adults in the world reached 745.1 million. That’s almost 10% of all adults who cannot read or write. Literacy gives protection, a child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of five. Illiteracy is a big problem, as it would take $39 billion USD every year to send all adolescents to school. Everyone should help pay that fee. A donation to an Education Organization will make a huge impact on someone’s life. Millions of families in developing countries live on less than $1.90 USD a day, so a simple 3 dollar donation would make a tremendous difference. People with disposable income should donate to global education organizations because millions of children go through their youth without any form of education.
Every year millions of children are denied the right to education. More than 72 million children aged 6-12 in developing countries are denied the right to education. Sub-Saharan Africa makes up 32 million of those. Half the people who do receive an education in Sub-Saharan Africa are educated for less than four years. In Somalia and Burkina Faso, more than 50% of the children who receive an education, are educated for fewer than two years. These short periods of education are not long enough to acquire the essential skills and abilities to live in a society. These children will grow up unable to help along the country’s economy, becoming a burden. This will affect the country’s economic growth in a negative way. This will feed into the country’s unemployment and poverty.
Almost all developing countries do not have free public schooling. To go to school, they have to pay tuition. Most people in developing countries can’t afford to pay tuition, so most children do not go to school. A family in a developing country would bring in only $120 USD a year. According to the World Food Programme, “The poorest households in the developing world may spend as much as 60-80 percent of their incomes on food. When prices go up, they must spend even more of their meager resources on food. That means they have less for their other needs, such as clothes, shelter, medicines, school books for the children.” Many families live on less than 1.90 USD per day, so any kind of donation would make a huge difference, and it would impact that family forever. If one child gets an education, that child’s kids have a larger chance of getting an education.
Some people might think that it isn’t their problem or responsibility to donate to education. They might think that donating to education is either not effective, or direct enough. They might feel like they might not even know how their money is being spent. The truth is, donating to education is one of the most direct, and effective ways to donate. One $75 donation will pay for a year in school. There are some organizations that show exactly where your money is going. This way, you know exactly how your donated money is being spent.
People should donate to education because millions of children are denied education each year. In developing countries, children who do receive an education, are educated for a very short duration. Anyone with a disposable income should donate to global education organizations because millions of children go through their childhood without any form of education or schooling. If you donate to a child’s education, it will change their life forever. They will go on in life with a better chance of getting a good job with a stable income, and with that income, they have a higher chance of being able to afford their children’s education. Everyone should help break the cycle of poverty. Some organizations people should consider donating to are WorldVision, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and Save the Children. Any donation, large or small, will make an enormous difference.
