I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want! I want to live in a world where all girls grow up with the same opportunities as boys.
The Spice Girls didn’t actually sing that, but I think it’s what they meant by Ziga Zig Ah.
I’m lucky to live in Australia where education is free. I go to a great school, have clean uniform every day and food to eat in my lunch box. So I was pretty shocked when I found out that 130 million girls don’t finish school and Fifteen million don’t even start.
It’s complicated, but in places like South Sudan, Central African Republic, India and Pakistan, girls have to stay at home to help look after their family or work on farms or factories. In some places girls get married off and basically work as slaves. It makes me realise how lucky I am.
In the documentary 2040, Damon Gameau says that the education of girls is one of the most important ways that we can fight the climate crisis.
Here’s how it works; girls who have a good education have fewer children than those who leave school early or get married young. Population growth is a big problem, educating girls could reduce growth by over a billion people by 2050. Girls who are educated also have more control over their lives.
So how are we going to make sure that all girls can go to school?
There are lots of charities that work with communities so that girls can go to school. They raise money to pay for school fees, uniforms, books and equipment. All of us can make a difference by contributing.
One of the most famous people fighting for all girls to get an education is Malala Yousafzai. She us is a female education activist from Pakistan. When she was 15 she shot by the Taliban because they didn’t like the work she had been doing trying to get girls into schools. Thankfully she survived!
Malala became famous for her activism and even won the Nobel Peace Prize. Now aged 21, she runs the Malala fund, a charity that fights for the education of girls. Now that’s what I call girl power!
Here are three charities that are helping girls stay in school.
