Educate Girls Globally
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarships

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Educate Girls Globally
Overview: Educate Girls Globally promotes the education of girls in developing countries by reforming existing schools and working with government ministries and parents to change local culture. They have developed a model that has the potential to expand educational opportunities for girls even in the most traditional Islamic countries, and at a very low cost.

Countries Supported: India. (Expansion is planned to other countries soon.)

Unique Approach: EGG focuses on mobilizing parents and communities to take over government schools, work collaboratively with teachers, bring back girls who have dropped out, and make existing schools work better for girls. This unique approach enables them to help large numbers of girls at a low cost. Their strategy shifts local cultures to support girls’ education, creating self-sustaining programs that can begin to operate without EGG’s assistance in as little as two years.

History: EGG was founded in 2000 by A. Lawrence Chickering, founder of the International Center for Economic Growth, and co-founder of the Institute for Contemporary Studies. Chickering believes that the most powerful strategy for increasing girls’ schooling in Muslim countries is to reform government schools through parental ownership. He explains: “While most people working on the issue believe that religion and culture present the greatest barriers and that government is the solution, there are good reasons for believing the opposite: that government is the barrier and culture the solution.”

Impact to Date: EGG completed a two-year pilot in the state of Rajasthan, India, with such positive results that the state government has committed to expand the program from 50 schools to 500, serving nearly 150,000 students.

What Your Donation Supports: The cost of implementing the EGG program is only $3.00 per child. This is expected to fall to less than a dollar per child as the program expands. This is a one-time cost, not an annual expense.

Organizational Efficiency: More than 90% of EGG’s revenue is used for its programs, with less than 10% spent on administration and overhead.

For More Information: Visit Educate Girls Globally on the web or read Lawry Chickering’s article, Transforming the Muslim World One Girl at a Time.

How to Donate: You can donate to EGG online through JustGive. Donations of any amount are welcome.

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Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarships
Overview: The Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program is a project of Room to Read. The organization as a whole partners with local communities throughout the developing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure. With the girls’ scholarship program, they provide long-term scholarships to individual girls.

Countries Supported: Cambodia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

Unique Approach: The program makes a long-term commitment to each girl on scholarship: as long as she attends classes and receives passing grades, they continue to fund her education through the completion of secondary school. In conjunction with partner NGOs, they identify girls who would be good scholarship candidates, and invite their families to apply. Local staff and volunteers select the girls to receive scholarships, and monitor their attendance and performance. Room to Read uses a Challenge Grant model, asking local communities to co-invest in their projects, encouraging a sustainable commitment from the community.

History: John Wood, a senior executive with Microsoft, launched Room to Read in 2000, after a trek through Nepal. Visiting several local schools, he was amazed by the enthusiasm of the students and teachers, but saddened by the shocking lack of resources. Driven to help, John left Microsoft and built a global team to work with rural villages to build sustainable solutions to their educational challenges. With Room to Read, he wove proven corporate business practices into his inspiring vision to provide an education to ten million children in the developing world.

Impact to Date: In 2006, over 3,400 girls from underprivileged families attended school as Room to Grow scholarship recipients.

What Your Donation Supports: Monthly school fees, school uniforms, books, supplies, and backpacks, a female staff member to oversee the program and mentor the girls, additional tutoring as needed, transportation (such as a bicycle or bus fare) for girls living far from school, lunch money if the girls live too far from school to eat at home, medical check-ups and expenses, and field trips and workshops.

Organizational Efficiency: Historically, over 90% of contributions have gone towards programs, with less than 10% percent of donations going to administrative and fundraising costs. The overhead ratio rose to 12% in 2006 due to investments in Room to Read’s infrastructure.

For More Information: Visit Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarships on the web or read John Wood’s book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.

How to Donate: You can donate by credit card or PayPal on Room to Read’s donation page, and specify the Girls’ Scholarship program and/or a specific country you wish to support. Donations of any amount are welcome; to sponsor one girl for a full year, $250 will cover all the expenses described above.

Greg Mortenson’s Crusade to Educate Girls
“educating girls… accomplishes three things — reduces population explosion; reduces infant mortality; and significantly improves basic health and quality of life in a region where one of three babies born alive doesn’t reach its first birthday, and where the literacy rate is about three per cent.”

Girls Count: A Global Investment and Action Agenda
“The condition of girls ripples out to their families, communities, and countries, and echoes into future generations in particular and profound ways. Compelling data show that key future social and economic outcomes depend heavily on the condition of adolescent girls today…”

UNICEF on Girls’ Education and Poverty Eradication
“…education for girls is the key to the health and nutrition of populations; to overall improvements in the standard of living; to better agricultural and environmental practices; to higher Gross National Product; and to greater involvement and gender balance in decision-making at all levels of society.”

World Bank on Girls’ Education
“Educating girls yields a higher rate of return than any other investment in the developing world.”

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Would you like to suggest an article or report for this list? Email us.

Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED)
Send girls to school in rural Africa. CAMFED sponsors girls’ education in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania, and operates a support network of graduates that helps the next generation go to school.

Central Asia Institute
Donate to community-based education and literacy programs for girls in remote mountain regions of Central Asia, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Each project matches funds with local resources to create sustainable success.

Educate Girls Globally
Support a unique model for educating large numbers of girls at a low cost by transforming local cultures and government in India. Projects are underway in 100 schools in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Little Sisters Fund
Help girls in Nepal go to school with a donation of any size. Sponsor a girl for her entire school career for only $2,500. Alumnae give back to the program by tutoring and mentoring younger girls.

Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarships
Send girls to school in Cambodia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Contribute to the fund or adopt an entire project. Each girl’s education is funded through the completion of secondary school. Sponsored by Room to Read.

While we strongly support the work of these organizations, we are not affiliated with them, nor do we accept donations on their behalf. When you make a donation, you are contributing directly to the group of your choice.

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Advocacy Organizations
Donations aren’t the only way to make a contribution to this effort. You can also support girls’ education through personal and political advocacy.

The Girl Effect
Learn how supporting the advancement of girls can produce dramatic social and economic changes, and how you can make a difference.

NetAid: End Global Poverty - Educate Girls
Send a message to political leaders about the importance of educating girls.

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For additional resources, see Recommended Books or Articles and Interviews.

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They Just Need School
Music and lyrics by Lisa Safran
Vocals: Lisa Safran
Guitar: Chris Faust

Anna skips, twirls, and dances then kicks at the open fire
In the back alley where she’d rather not say what she did that day

Nandi grabs all the papers from the nearby bin that she’s been sleeping in
The words from the page do nothing to stop her from being thin

Our girls are out there
They just need a chance
They could be writers, musicians, amazing mathematicians
They could even dance

Our girls are out there
Without any school
They could be doctors, professors, scientists, inventors
They could even rule

They just need school
Give them a book and teach girls to read
They just need school
Give them the numbers and girls will lead
They just need school
Give them a pen and they’ll write a book
They just need school
Isn’t it time that we stopped and looked

With 60 million girls out of school
Poverty will win and have its way today

With 60 million girls out of school
Poverty will win and have its way today

Sumi works with her hands as fast as she can stitching clothes to sell
With no breaks, she aches and her muscles cramp in the dark and damp

Leina looks at her face with tears of disgrace in the light of dawn
Her youth is almost gone but for the one rag doll that she drags along

Our girls are out there
They just need a chance
They could be writers, musicians, amazing mathematicians
They could even dance

Our girls are out there
Without any school
They could be doctors, professors, scientists, inventors
They could even rule

They (We) just need school
Give them a book and teach girls to read
They (We) just need school
Give them the numbers and girls will lead
They (We) just need school
Give them a pen and they’ll write a book
They (We) just need school
Isn’t it time that we stopped and looked

With 60 million girls back in school
Poverty will be a thing of yesterday

With 60 million girls back in school
Poverty will be a thing of yesterday

With 60 million girls back in school
Poverty will be a thing of yesterday

With 60 million girls back in school
Poverty will be a thing of yesterday

They (We) just need school
Give them a book and teach girls to read
They (We) just need school
Give them the numbers and girls will lead
They (We) just need school
Give them a pen and they’ll write a book
They (We) just need school
Isn’t it time that we stopped and looked

Copyright © 2007 Lisa Safran. All rights reserved.

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Lisa Safran has been improvising and composing music since the fourth grade. Providing musical accompaniment for improvisational comedy groups led to her performing improvisational and stand-up comedy throughout the U.S. and Canada during the 80’s and early 90’s. Life as a stand-up comic convinced her to return to school where she completed a Masters degree in teaching and earned a multiple subject teaching credential.

While teaching full-time, she collaborated in 2004 with the poet Naomi Ruth Lowinsky and developed music and arrangements for several poems from the book Red Clay is Talking (Scarlet Tanager Books, 2000). After surviving the 2004 tsunami while on holiday in Thailand, Lisa moved to Thailand in 2005 to teach. There she began playing the guitar and although she tried to take lessons, the instructor only spoke Thai, so she again found herself improvising and creating on her own.

In 2007, Lisa moved back to San Francisco and is enjoying life among other like-minded musicians in a city ripe for musical expression. In addition to performing music, Lisa performs improvisational comedy around the Bay Area with the troupe “Too Many Larrys” and works as a professional development provider for a non-profit educational organization.

Chris Faust is a musician, teacher, and instructional technologies expert in San Francisco. Since his arrival in the Bay Area twelve years ago, he has participated in a steady stream of performance projects: acting, dancing, singing, and playing guitar. In 1999, Chris and his wife Mary Bishop collaborated with Lisa Safran and others to write, produce, and perform in a full-length musical drama. Bonds formed through that experience later evolved into “Shaped Like Saints,” the songwriting team of Shippy and Faust, which culminated in 2003 in a CD album of original music.

Currently, Chris works with a local community college designing teaching modules for creative software, and works alongside his wife as a theatrical set designer. He is very happy to be back on stage with Lisa, in the presence of her amazing creative energy. “‘They Just Need School’ is the perfect project for me, combining my creative and professional interests with a goal at the heart of my social consciousness. Elevating the status of women is the path to world peace and prosperity. Educating the girls is crucial.”

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations…One School at a Time
by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
After an unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, Greg Mortenson was nursed back to health a Pakistani village. He promised to return and build them a school, which led to his founding the Central Asia Institute. His organization has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
by David Bornstein
Journalist David Bornstein profiles nine champions of social change who developed innovative ways to address needs they saw around them in Bombay, India; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; inner-city Washington, D.C., and more. Their inspiring stories show the wide-ranging possibilities in social entrepreneurship and the growing “citizen sector” to make a lasting impact on large-scale social problems.

Ending Global Poverty: A Guide to What Works
by Stephen C. Smith
Global poverty expert Stephen Smith gives readers the tools and knowledge to help people overcome poverty and determine what solutions are most effective at fighting it. Smith gives a close-up view of innovative and effective programs that are making a real difference, and describes how companies and foreign investors could play a constructive role in addressing the problems.

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time
by Jeffrey D. Sachs
Economist Jeffrey Sachs has a plan to eliminate extreme poverty by 2025. His focus is to help the one billion poorest individuals around the world rise above mere subsistence level and achieve some control over their economic futures and their lives. To do this, Sachs proposes nine specific steps, explained in detail in this book.

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Would you like to recommend a book for this list? Email us.

• Donate - For as little as $75 U.S., you can send a girl to school for an entire year in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, or Mongolia. Visit our Resources page and make a donation to any one of the organizations described there.

• Educate - Learn more about this important issue so you can tell your friends, family, and community about it. Read some of the books, articles, interviews, and reports on our Resources page, and share them with others. Subscribe to updates from this site using any of the newsreaders at right so you can stay informed.

• Advocate - Let your political representatives know that this is an issue you care about. You can send a letter quickly and easily through NetAid. If you belong to any organizations that address global poverty, peace, or human rights, tell them about the critical importance of girls’ education. Write letters to the media when you see a relevant story, and let journalists know how girls’ education can make a difference.

• Volunteer - Help us spread the word! We are currently seeking volunteers with any of the following skills to help with our projects: writing, research, publicity, fundraising, graphic design, illustration, primary education, instructional design, and public speaking. If you can spare even a few hours per month, you can help. Please email us to find out more.

If you take action in any of these ways because of what you read here, let us know! Visit our Report Card page, and post a report about what steps you took.

Q: What is the mission of Send Girls to School?

Q: What are the projects and programs of Send Girls to School?

Q: How did Send Girls to School get started?

Q: Is Send Girls to School a nonprofit organization?

Q: How can I get involved?

Frequently Asked Questions About Girls’ Education

Q: Why is girls’ education so important in the developing world?

Q: Isn’t it also important to educate boys?

Q: Why should we support girls in the developing world when people in our own country need help?

Have a question not answered here? Please email us.

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Q: What is the mission of Send Girls to School?

A: Send Girls to School is an education and advocacy project dedicated to supporting girls’ education in the developing world. We educate the public about the global impact of educating girls, publicize the work of organizations that aid girls’ education, advocate with elected officials, and assist fundraising efforts that further this cause.

Q: What are the projects and programs of Send Girls to School?

A: Our first project is underway now. We are compiling educational resources about girls’ education in the developing world and making them available on this website. These include articles, interviews, profiles, and reports about the significance of girls’ education and the people and organizations working to educate girls. In coming months, we will also be establishing a speakers’ bureau on the topic of girls’ education, building partnerships with other organizations working on this issue, supporting fundraising efforts, and advocating with political leaders. Our future plans include writing and publishing one or more books about educating girls.

Q: How did Send Girls to School get started?

A: Send Girls to School was started in 2007 by C.J. Hayden, an author, entrepreneur, and activist in San Francisco. C.J. was once a high school dropout and homeless teenager who eventually put herself through college. She learned first hand the value of education and its impact on a young woman’s self-esteem. While serving as an activist with several projects to aid global poverty, C.J. uncovered a substantial body of research indicating that educating girls could do more to end poverty than any other investment in the developing world. She launched this project to spread the word about this simple but groundbreaking approach to break the cycle of poverty. 

Q: Is Send Girls to School a nonprofit organization?

A: No. Send Girls to School is an education and advocacy project with a minimal budget. We do not raise funds for our own projects, but instead direct our fundraising efforts to existing nonprofit organizations. We encourage you to support our cause by making a donation to any of the groups listed on our Resources page. At present, all our operating costs are paid by our founder. 

Q: How can I get involved?

A: We are currently seeking volunteers with any of the following skills to help with our projects: writing, research, publicity, fundraising, graphic design, illustration, primary education, instructional design, and public speaking. If you can spare even a few hours per month, you can help. Please email us to find out more. You can also help by donating, educating, and advocating for girls’ education. See our Get Involved page to learn how.

Q: Why is girls’ education so important in the developing world?

A: The United Nations, the World Bank, and UNICEF have identified educating girls as an investment in the developing world that can have a higher yield than any other type of aid. When girls go to school, household income increases, overpopulation decreases, the health of their family improves, violence and political extremism declines, and more of their future children attend school. Educating girls enables them to become agents of social change in their communities and dramatically improves the lives of their children. You can learn more about the impact of girls’ education in our Resources area.

Q: Isn’t it also important to educate boys?

A: Yes, it is. But when resources are scarce, many families send their boys to school and keep their girls at home and put them to work. That’s why financial support of girls’ education is essential. And educating boys doesn’t have the dramatic impact on communities that girl’s education does. In the words of former U.N. Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor, “Educate a boy and you educate a person; educate a girl and you educate a family, a community, a society. Educated girls become better-informed mothers and more empowered human beings… they bring up educated children.”

Q: Why should we support girls in the developing world when people in our own country need help?

A: There are needy people in every country, and we think it’s important to contribute wherever you feel called to help. There may be many causes you choose to donate to, and we hope this will be one of them. Typical donors to girls’ education projects live in some of the wealthiest countries in the world, and their donations can make a much more significant difference when used in countries where their money can go further. You can change the future of a family by sending a girl to school for just one year, which can be done for as little as $75. Please consider donating to one of the nonprofit organizations on our Resources page.

If you take action to help girls’ education as a result of visiting this site, please let us know by posting on our Report Card page. Your action will inspire others!