Together in Mission
Women's Education Helps Everyone
by Nancy Collins
"When a woman is educated, the whole family has a chance
to do better . . . We now know that the countries that help girls
to be educated are the countries that will move ahead."
This was the perspective Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton shared
with a group of Egyptian girls and young women.
 A class of
Egyptian young women watches
a video during the New Horizons program.
The program, New Horizons, was developed after a 1994 international
conference linked girls' education and reproductive health with
development and economic progress. New Horizons addresses the
negative self-image of Egyptian girls, who are marginalized by
the culture's preference for boys. The course covers every major
aspect of a young woman's life. Practical issues are discussed,
such as the importance of continuing education, choosing a marriage
partner and the dangers of early marriage. The classes equip
girls with important information, but also with the skills to
effectively discuss and negotiate these ideas with their parents.
In the impoverished communities where the program is implemented,
a team of girls is trained in simple video-taping and editing
techniques. Community residents watch the videos, increasing
their awareness of issues confronting girls. In addition to being
an effective approach in communities that are largely illiterate,
this methodology contributes to each adolescent girl's personal
identity and self-esteem.
In the communities where the program has been implemented there
has been a 55 percent drop in the rate of early marriage (among
girls under the legal age of 16 at the time of marriage). In
one Upper Egypt community, the percentage
of girls in school has risen from
five percent to 28 percent. Unfortunately, the demand for the
program exceeds available resources.
Study the importance of girls' education. To learn more,
visit these Web sites:
www.cedpa.org/trainprog/youth.htm
www.popcouncil.org/ppdb/transitions/index.html
www.usaid.gov/regions/ane/newpages/perspectives/egypt/eggirlsed.htm
www.unicefusa.org/girls_ed/global.html
www.virtuous.org/c4c/projects.html
Pray. As we commit ourselves to serve as God's hands in
bringing about a more just world we should remember to repeatedly
call on God to bring justice to the poor.
Contribute money through an Extra Commitment Opportunity
to increase the number of communities able to offer New Horizons
classes. Make checks payable to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
and designate them for CEOSS New Horizons classes, ECO # 865601.
Gifts can be made through normal receiving channels. Church sessions
should send checks to Central Receiving Services, Section 590,
Louisville, KY 40289; individuals should send their checks to
Central Receiving Services, Section 300, Louisville, KY 40289.
Nancy Collins is a missionary in residence
for the Middle East Office. She and her son, Charles, returned
to Egypt in August 2002 to continue work with the Coptic Evangelical
Organization for Social Services (CEOSS).
How can you help?
Regular subscribers have access to information that allow them
the opportunity to help people globally.
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