Education

The Cause:

Education

The Facts:

• More than half (51%) of the population of South Sudan is below the age of eighteen.
• Just over 1/4 of people living in South Sudan can read and write. Forty percent of men, compared to just 16 percent of women, can read and write.
• More than 25% of primary school aged children in South Sudan are not enrolled in school.
• Only 37% of the population above the age of 6 has ever attended school.
• In 2009, there were 129 students per classroom in South Sudan.

The Project:

After becoming the world's newest country, South Sudan faces the enormous task of rebuilding its education system. Plan Canada is building two schools in two of the most conflict-affected areas, and training child-friendly teachers to take charge of student's learning.

The Details:

South Sudan became the world’s newest country on July 9, 2011. Plan is helping to build the country’s education system nearly from scratch.

The Cause:

Education

The Facts:

• Guinea ranks 178th out of 187 countries on the UN Human Development Index. (Source: http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/GIN.html)
• On average, adults in Guinea have completed 1.6 years of school. (Source: http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/GIN.html)
• Less than 40% of adults in Guinea can read and write. (Source: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/guinea_statistics.html)
• Approximately 50% of school-aged children in Guinea are attending primary school regularly. (Source: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/guinea_statistics.html)

The Project:

Plan will build six primary schools in Télimélé, Guinea this year. The first graduating class will include approximately 300 students.

The Details:

In Western Guinea, only 1 out of 10 children finish primary school. The situation is even worse for girls. Plan realized that providing new schools and teacher training in the area could make a big difference.

The Cause:

Education

The Facts:

• Among boys and girls of primary school age in Haiti, only around 50% are actually attending school (48% of boys, 52% of girls).
• Attendance numbers drops drastically for secondary school, hovering around 20% (18% of boys, 21% of girls). (Source: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.html#77)

The Project:

Plan promotes reading and writing skills for primary school children in Haiti by providing portable libraries and teacher training.

The Details:

Reading and writing are essential skills that should be part of every child's tool kit as they enter into adulthood. But in Haiti, ensuring that each child graduates from primary school is still a challenge. In fact, only about half of all children do!

The Cause:

Education and girls' rights

The Facts:

• South Sudan is the world's youngest country. It separated from Sudan on July 9, 2011 after the population voted for independence. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudan)
• More than 20 years of civil war in South Sudan decimated infrastructure and social institutions, leaving thousands of children without access to schools, basic health care and clean water. (Source: project document)
• Less than 30% of people older than 15 in South Sudan can read and write. (Source:http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSUDAN/Resources/Key-Indicators-SS.pdf)
• Access to education for boys and girls is uneven: 55% of young men aged 15-24 can read and write, while only 28% of young women in this age group can. (Source:http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSUDAN/Resources/Key-Indicators-SS.pdf)

The Project:

Building two new schools and training teachers is part of this plan to help children in South Sudan fulfill their right to education!

The cause:

Education and Poverty

The facts:

• Educated girls grow up healthier, marry later and raise fewer, healthier, more educated children.
• Women who succeed economically are more likely to spend earnings on medical care and education for their children. They also have a greater sense of self-worth, increased confidence, and believe in their right to make decisions about their own lives.
• But in Senegal, only 31% of the population (and just 16% of girls) attend school beyond the primary level.
• 40% of boys and 55% of girls are illiterate.

The project:

Education and economic security, both part of this project, are two essential ingredients for children, youth and families to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

The details:

There’s no perfect recipe to end poverty but Plan knows from experience that two essential ingredients are a quality education and the chance to succeed in the workplace.

Project Gift of Hope item(s): 

The cause:

Education and Poverty

The facts:

• More than 400,000 children in Rwanda are not attending school.
• Less than half of those who do go to school will actually complete their education.
• 35% of Rwandan families withdraw their children from school because they can’t afford the cost of school materials and uniforms.
• 37% of Rwandans are living in extreme poverty.
• Only 21% of the population has access to financial services.
• 75% percent of unschooled youth have no professional training, and 42% of youth aged 14-35 years are either unemployed or underemployed.

The project:

Plan is breaking the cycle of poverty in Rwanda by supporting education and household economic security.

The details:

Poverty makes it challenging for children to receive quality education. Without quality education, it’s difficult for children and families to rise out of poverty. This conundrum affects people in Rwanda, making breaking the cycle of poverty a huge challenge.

The cause:

Education, Poverty and Girls' Rights

The facts:

• Only 46% of boys and 40% of girls regularly attend primary school in Mali.
• Even less - 23% of boys and 17% of girls - go on to study at secondary school.
• In most primary schools, there is only one textbook for every 3 students.
• Girls are half as likely as boys to be able to read and write.
• More than half of Mali's population lives below the poverty line, living on less than US$1.25 per day.

The project:

Children, youth, women and men received skills, economic resources and quality education to enable greater household economic security in Mali.

The cause:

Education

The facts:

• Only 67% of boys aged 15 to 24 in Guinea are able to read and write. Among girls the same age, that number drops to 51%.
• 76% of all school-aged boys are enrolled in primary school. 66% of girls the same age are enrolled.
• 34% of boys and 21% of girls are enrolled in high school.
• Government instability and challenges to democracy in Guinea cause disruptions in children’s education.

The project:

Plan, together with UNICEF, are building and furnishing almost 400 classrooms in Guinea in West Africa.

The details:

In the forested region of Guinea, in West Africa, students and teachers are proud of 391 new classrooms and 10 new community preschool education centres built by Plan. Newly built schools feature clean water points and girls' and boys' latrines. Classrooms are outfitted with new furniture and school supplies for all students.

Project Gift of Hope item(s): 

The cause:

Education and Poverty

The facts:

• Only 42% of school age children in Ethiopia complete primary school.
• Only 38% go on to secondary school.
• 39% of people in Ethiopia live in poverty, surviving on less than US$1.25 per day.

The project:

To help end poverty in four regions of Ethiopia, Plan teamed up with the Canadian International Development Agency to provide primary education and tools for entering the workforce for children and youth.

The details:

To start with, Plan built a place for children and youth in Ethiopia to learn: three schools, 10 resource centres and 15 libraries. Since lack of clean water and sanitation facilities, including toilets and latrines, are a barrier to school attendance, Plan also made sure to include those in their blueprints. A total of six latrine blocks and 13 clean water wells were built at different primary schools.

Project Gift of Hope item(s): 

One of the main purposes of the reading centre is to provide adolescents in the area with a safe space for them to be with their friends, and to help protect them from being “recruited” for dangerous work in larger cities. The project also teaches children and their parents about the importance of education, and gives children a space to do their schoolwork. The reading centre has a library, as well as space for clubs, orientation meetings, and general recreation. The centre is also used for workshops on reproductive health and sexuality.

Personal stories: “It will be useful for the children who will do research work at the centre rather than going outside the community which sometimes is very risky. It will also be a place where girls can gather together and discuss things.” (Julie Ann, president of the Children’s Association).