The biggest barrier to keeping girls in school is the cost of a uniform, shoes and supplies.Girls often drop out of school because they lack these simple and cheap things. Once out of school there is tremendous societal pressure to marry. 34% of marriages in Nepal involve girls under the age of 16. 20% of the nearly 10,000 girls trafficked out of Nepal are under 16. Staying in school lowers HIV and infant and maternal mortality Staying in school results in fewer children being born
The biggest barrier to keeping girls in school is uniforms and fees. Girls often drop out of school because they lack a school uniform. Once out of school there is tremendous societal pressure to marry. 34% of marriages in Nepal involve girls under the age of 16. Studies show that providing uniforms, shoes and supplies reduces absenteeism and teen pregnancy rates.
A school uniform, shoes and school supplies remove the single biggest barrier to keeping girls in school. This project will begin in the village of Mankhu where we have a farm for women (see Her Farm on Global Giving) and expand from there. There are more than 40 girls in the village and we intend to keep them all in school by simply removing this economic barrier. Moreover, if we get a sewing machine we can employ local women to produce the uniforms and increase the incomes for women.
It's well documented that keeping girls in school results in significant impact in six areas. 1) Fewer child brides 2) Lower birth rates 3) Reduced infant mortality 4) Reduced maternal mortality 5) Lower rates of HIV 6) Less girl trafficking to the sex trade All of these are directly impacted by the simple act of removing the financial barrier to keeping girls in school. A uniform, pair of shoes and school supplies costs $45. We will employ local women to make uniforms as well.
