People & Planet, a United Kingdom network of student campaign groups created to help alleviate world poverty, defend human rights, and protect the environment has posted an article in their Grassroots Bloggers highlighting the role of Pathways Togo in supporting education for girls in Togo. The blog post by Jim Cranshaw directs readers’ attention to an article written by student Jaimie Grant regarding female education in Togo. As Jaimie points out in his article, although some charitable groups have made funding available for building schools and improving teachers, “not enough attention is being paid to how gender remains a major factor in determining who actually gets access to [education].”
Jaimie identifies the obstacles that too often stand in the way of educational access for girls including pressure to marry young in polygamous marriages, early pregnancies, health and safety issues, and family expectations to stay at home and assist with domestic duties. Jaimie writes, “Paying for school is also a serious challenge for many students. Where boys remain priorities in families, girls will often have to depend on brewing and selling alcohol, moving away from home, and selling street food in order to support themselves and continue their education.”
Pathways Togo has made scholarships available for girls who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend school. Jaimie cites a case where “one young woman had narrowly escaped an arranged marriage at age 11, and with support from her sister had been able to earn enough money to continue through school, earn a scholarship from Pathways Togo and eventually progress to university.”
Jaimie emphasizes that it is through the work of volunteer efforts that Pathways Togo has been able to help mitigate some of the gender inequality that prevents girls from receiving an education, “Governments and international organistions are investing heavily in education, but without this crucial work to address the gender gap in education, more education investment risks exacerbating the gender gap in wider society.”
To learn more about People & Planet and to read Jim Cranshaw’s blog, please visit: http://blog.peopleandplanet.org/2012/01/pper-student-jaimie-grant-writes....