When I was a child, what I dreamed of being when I grew up often changed with the wind. I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be a lawyer, an actress and for some brief period, I wanted to be a politician. Now that I am older and none of those things, I still realize the common denominator of all those dreams—what would have made any of them possible—is access to a quality education.
“People are at the center of sustainable development …[and efforts] to strive for a world that is just, equitable and inclusive, and committed to work[ing] together.…” These words from the Introduction to the Proposal of the Open Working Group (OWG) for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasize that people are central to the implementation and success of a post-2015 development agenda, and they are the ultimate beneficiaries of “inclusive economic growth, social development, and environmental protection…without distinction.”
As millions of students return and have returned to school over these past few weeks and months, 127 million did not. 127 million children of primary and lower secondary school age were not greeted at the door by their new teacher, did not greet old friends and meet new ones, did not crowd in to the school yard, did not spend the morning finding their shiny new desks, learning new rules and finding their way as they transition from primary to secondary school.
I have always gotten a kick out of doing something that someone said I couldn’t do or that I am not supposed to do—finishing a grueling hike, building something, fixing something or even something as seemingly simple as getting up each and every day and going back to finish something you started even if everyone is against you. All of that takes strength—the strength to do, the strength to overcome and the strength to keep going.
On June 26, more than 800 delegates including heads of state, education ministers, representatives from multilateral organizations, civil society, business and youth leaders from 91 countries gathered in Brussels for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2014 Replenishment Conference.
The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to focus public attention on the learning opportunities for young children, their families, and the professionals and educators who serve them.
57 million children around the world denied an education despite the world's promise to put every child in school by 2015. Tens of millions of children drop out of school before learning how to read and write - forced into early marriages, participating in dangerous work just to feed their families, or pushed out because of school fees they can’t afford. Access to education is one of the best ways to decrease poverty.
On November 20, 2013, the Global Campaign for Education-US, the Basic Education Coalition and RESULTS Educational Fund honored Representative Nita Lowey (NY) on her 25 years of leadership in global education. Speakers for the event included Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Representative Kay Granger (TX), Senator Pat Leahy (VT) and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. Twelve members of Congress pariticpated in the event. Click here for a video message from Congresswoman Lowey on the importance of global education.
We always hear about these fantastic conferences in far flung places with great speakers and sessions and find ourselves saying things like "I wish I could take the vacation time...", "I wish I could afford to go right now..."and/or "If it just started a bit later, I could go."
Now that October is finally here, Girl Up is ready to celebrate something special, and we're inviting everyone to join us.
