“One study after another has shown that educating girls is one
of the most effective ways to fight poverty.” this quote is in our book, Half
The Sky. According to the article, Education: It’s Not Just about Boys Get
Girls into School, the reason educating girls fights poverty is because girls give more money back to their
families than boys do. Another reason educating girls is a good idea is because
the more educated they are the more likely they are to marry later in life and they
have fewer, healthier children.
The story of Dai Manju amazed me. When reading about how
$10,000 was donated (it was meant to be $100, but there was an error by the
bank. The bank was nice enough to honor the mistake) to educate Dai, and how it
ended up being used to build a new school and educate other girls in the
village it astounded me. The thought that they could build a new school and
still have enough money to give scholarships to the girls in the area is
amazing. This made me think of the amount of money that is spent here to build
a new school and it is overwhelming, or the fact that we spend close to that
for one year of college. It was encouraging to read that Dai and others benefited
from this and they were able to help pull their families out of poverty.
This blog really mace me think about all of the kids that have access to free education, while they are growing up,mand do not take advatage of it. Yet in other countries there are girls selling their bodies in order to attend school. I cannot believe how much we take the simple things for grated. I think that if kids in our counrty had to experience the world these girls live in they may take education more seriously. So many people skip school or avoid attending because they felt that they were not good at it and it really amazes me how much girls fight for education in other countries.
ReplyDeleteIt is also hard to believe how much we spend on education and there still never seems to be enough. They comtinue to cut funding to education even when education has proven to improve soceity especially female education. If one country can spend $10,000 on education why does our system cost so much? If education cost especially postsecondary education was lower people my be more app to go to college benefiting everyone in the country.
Your blog, the comment above, and this chapter overall has really made me think about the importance of education, and how much it gets taken advantage of in some places. For example, I currently work as a tutor and one of my students always complains about how much she hates school, wants to drop out, and how school is so unimportant and won’t help her get anywhere in life. It makes me so sick to hear that and it honestly breaks my heart that some people don’t understand the importance of education, while other girls around the world would give anything to go to school. Education has always been the most important thing in my life because I didn’t want to be like all the other girls in my town (overseas) whose main goal in life is to get married and have kids. Very few actually want to become educated and do something with their life. I can’t find the words to describe how I feel about girls who are taught to think like that vs. other girls/women we read about who are doing everything they can to become educated and are willing to do anything.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is so important to educate girls to help stop proverty. Even though boys can help family out, but women do it more. Girls help their families more because they want tosee then get the most and women love girling then reseving. Education has always been way more important towomen then menbecause they want to suecced high then what they can actual be. Women they never stop at what they can do theygo farth.
ReplyDeleteIn your blog you stated girls would marry later if they receive an education. I believe that's 100 percent true. When women worldwide are being raped or having children willing at age 15 or some times even younger, then it's hard for these women to get an education even if it's available to them. I understand that a lot of countries exclude women from primary education, but if these third world countries could somehow keep striving for better childhood education, then in result I think you would see better living conditions for women.
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ReplyDeleteI think that it was also very generous that they did give the extra money because of the bank’s error. To give scholarships to girls who do well in school is very smart. Since they did end up giving the rest of the money I thought it was amazing as well when they could educate more girls and also build a new building for them. I agree that it was encouraging and it was nice to read something like this instead of sad stories all the time.
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of the same thoughts you had while reading this chapter. The thought that so much could be done with $10,000, a relatively small amount of money in the grand scheme of things. It made me think of the excess in our country, millions of dollars spent to build a sporting arena, the salaries we pay professional athletes and reality stars, etc. I liked that the chapter mentioned how when the girls succeeded in school, it pushed the boys to try and excel even harder as they didn't want to be left behind! I definitely think that as a nation, we take education for granted. Working in a school, I see firsthand how so many of the current generation almost look upon education with disdain. I think this chapter is a must read for a lot of people and could serve as a great example of how much we could do with so little.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that education is important to stem the tide of poverty I don't agree that women utilize it better than males. No matter what gender you are education can help to battle poverty. Males may use the education they receive to help motivate or push the women in their lives to do the same. The problem in some societies is women not having the realization that school will help them provide for their family as well. The cycle of being a "mother" only is what needs to be broken. Education can get women out of low paying jobs. The real issue comes when it comes to childcare while the parents are working. If better services were offered for childcare there may be more women seeking higher education
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt's point that we shouldn't make generalizations about who better utilizes their education. The truth is, all individuals benefit from education. Educated people are typically more progressive and empathetic. Both men and women can utilize their education to positively change their own lives, the lives of their family, and the lives of the people in their community. It is important to educate a country as a whole, otherwise the two sides may never agree on new ideas.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe the bank didn't change the amount back to $100. Most people don't have that much money to give away to funds like this. Especially by accident. It was an incredibly generous thing for them to do, even if it wasn't originally intended. And then the fact that the money was used to fund not only Dai's education, but also a new school and education for many other women is amazing
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing as well. I couldn't believe that the bank didn't take their money back when they noticed the error. I believe the was the best thing that they could have did with that extra money though. So the bank deserve props and so do the people who help build the school and help educate these young women.
DeleteAlso, to follow up on your blog, it is very interesting to see what funds are needed to start a school in an underdeveloped country in comparison to what is needed in the U.S. The following link lists over 50 countries and what percentage of their GDP is spent on public education: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS
ReplyDeleteIt WOWed me too when the bank honored the mistake in their favor. What huge difference that made! You're right about us spending that much money a year for just school. In my circumstance of being an out of state student, my tuition is a good $4,000 higher than in-state residents. My overall tuition is about the same price as it is for them to build a new school. That is crazy!
ReplyDeleteIt's a relief to see that these women are doing beneficial things with their money, as opposed to spending it on selfish desires.
The power of education seems to be endless when in the right hands. I believe that education does not only effect poverty, but also sex trafficking, the spread of AIDS and a decrease in the amount of unwanted pregnancies.Education seems to be a key that fits many doors in analogy of life. It is unfortunate to think that many people (not just girls) take for granted their education and access to it. We have read several stories in the Half the Sky book about what children had to do just to receive an education which is more effort than I ever had to put into my education. I feel almost guilty for the days I complained about school and skipped school to get an extra few hours of sleep. It is very hard to appreciate what you have until you do not have it anymore or have to work harder to keep it.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked when the bank honored their mistake as well! "Schooling is also often a precondition for girls and women to stand up against injustice, and for women to be integrated into the economy. Until women are numerate and literate, it is difficult for them to start businesses or contribute meaningfully to their national economics." (Kristof 170). Reading these statements truly shows how critical and important it is to have an education, and how much more one can contribute when they do have an education. Not saying that being uneducated, or unable to receive an education lessons a person but a person can grow so much more when they are able to have an education! That's why every day I remind myself how lucky I am to be getting a quality education, and how important it is for my success in the future!
ReplyDeleteI think the problem of girls' education is people see men and women differently. In poor places, girls can't go to school, but boys can, because girls and boys are not equal. Besides, I think elementary and secondary schools are necessary for everyone, because students needs to learn moral knowledge besides academic knowledge. I believe that students don't have to have high level knowledge of academic, but they have to have high level knowledge of morality, so they can be good persons. Therefore, for those people who are in poverty, the government needs to help them with education. It is a significant part of the country's development as well.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I do agree that it was an amazing thing for the bank to honor the rest of the money and also for the list of things that $10,000 could do in China. It's really amazing when they break it down and say that it only costs 50 cent per child to stay in school per year.. I wonder how much it is for an American (since you mentioned the costs for our buildings and how much we spend on books, etc.) Also, if it's so cheap for them to go to school imagine how awesome it would be to be assigned a child, and you sponsor their education. That would be so special, knowing that you helped a child in need and then they used your gift and built themselves a life. I'm sure that there are programs out there like that, I will have to look into that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that the "bribing" method for getting young children to stay in school sounds like the best and most effective way of actually keeping them in school. Because so many of the families excuses are that they don't have enough money, this is perfect because now the child gets an education and the family is getting money to pay for it and also money to spend and keep to use towards other things! Such a good idea.
I agree with you and this quote in this chapter. We know from previous chapters that being educated in many countries can help prevent many things such as poverty, modern slavery, and gang violence. I liked this chapter and actually will do some adjusting to my paper and included some facts from this book.
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe that the way to solve most women's issues in these impoverished countries is just to educate the women. They would be able to provide for their own families, they would be less likely to go into prostitution, and they would be more likely to raise their own healthy children. Not to mention the fact that if they can avoid prostitution, they could probably bring the rate of AIDS and HIV down. Plus, having an educated mother helps push young girls to be educated and it also helps young boys see women in a better light, more as equals than anything else. Education is the key to changing the situations in these developing countries, and if we could get more women educated, things would improve.
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing to read the good after reading so much bad! I can't believe what we are paying for college a year could help women the rest of their lives! It just shows how much our colleges are overpriced. It makes me want to go to colleges and make them donate to help with this issue. Also, seeing that big issues like this can be helped/fixed makes me super excited for our community help project!
ReplyDeleteIt isss amazing how much they accomplished with that amount of money. I feel like if that was the same situation here the money would seem non existent, like it was never even there. This also helps us see that you can work with what we think is a small amount of money and still help a lot of people out. I don't even want to know how much it cost for our school. I went down to the Ann Arbor school and seen their sports complex, it was really nice and a friend of mine said they were going to spend around 200 million to improve it even more. I couldn't believe it, just imagine how far that money could go in another country. imagine how many schools you could build there. theres a reason why they say "us" americans are wasteful.
ReplyDeleteSomebody needs to educate boys and girls on the importance of obtaining wealth and sharing it with those that are around them. That's all it take sometimes is a little donation to help someone accomplish their goals and live a life with needs being met. Poverty and depression is unhuman
ReplyDeleteThe bank deciding to honor their error was nice, indeed! I agree with many of you about the importance of education (clearly, we're all pretty much in the education field, so I would hope we think that!). I also love how many of you are seeing your own education differently. I know I did when I became a teacher. I really reflected back on my experiences and the times I brushed off my own education and its importance and tried to emphasize to my students not to have the attitude that I had at times. Although it is hard to "make" someone see its importance, we can be models. I have devoted my life to education--for myself and others--and hopefully that is a model for others that I certainly believe it to be important! :)
ReplyDeleteI like the reasoning's that you posted for why you believe it is important for women to be educated. Although some may disagree, women give back more to their family then men do. I don't necessarily agree with this but I understand what the book is getting at. Although most of the women in many other countries stay at home and don't work, they do a lot more for their families. I most definitely agree with the second reasoning the book gave. Educating girls is a good idea because the more educated they are, the more likely they are to marry later in life and they will have fewer and healthier children. I think it is very important for women in other countries to be educated when pregnant. Too many women pass away at child birth because they aren't educated enough to know when something is happening to their body. I think it was wonderful that the bank honored their mistake of giving $10,000 when they meant to give $100. If they wouldn't have honored their mistake, then Dai Manju and her village probably wouldn't have had enough money to build a school and give away scholarships!
ReplyDeleteI believe that girls are more likely to give back to their communities before a male would. I think that it's absolutely true that women that are educated are more likely to to become married in the future because I wouldn't want to marry an uneducated women myself. The story about Dai is amazing I think that it is a blessing that the bank made a mistake and instead of taken it back they let her keep it. Then they created a school building to help more young women become educated as well.
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