“A man and a woman are like the two wheels of a cart. The cart can move fast and safely when both of them are pulling the cart in the same direction, and with equal strength, but if one of the wheels is damage, nothing will be possible.”
It is said a mother is a child’s first teacher, and home a child’s first school. Likewise, if a man is educated, only he is educated. But if a woman is educated, the whole family is educated.
I envision a world where women and men are treated equally, a world where power is shared between girls, women, boys and men. I envision a world that honors both our commonalities and our differences, a world that must not only actively recruit women and girls to schools, but which actively addresses any barriers to their meaningful participation in society. A world where the ripple effects of a woman’s education can trickle down to her children, making them healthier, stronger and more likely to survive childhood. More importantly, I envision a world where every single African girl has access to a free, quality education in her community, poverty has determined whether a girl will be educated or not. Poverty is the most pervasive factor preventing children from going to school. Poor families are less able to afford school fees, uniforms and textbooks for all of their children, but beyond poverty, girls often miss out due to the belief that there’s less value in educating a girl than a boy. Instead, they are sent to work or made to stay at home to look after siblings and work on household chores.
Girls make half of the human population. To leave the girls uneducated means to leave half of the people behind. Men and women are like two wheels of a cart. If one wheel of the cart is broken, how can the cart go ahead? In the same way, if women remain uneducated and unskilled, how can we develop our society? How can our cart of civilization and progress go ahead?
Education is the light of life. It cultivates us as people. It gives us knowledge, skills and techniques to apply in our jobs and to make a difference in our communities. It gives us ideas to learn what is right and wrong, and how to lead positive social change in our communities. It gives us a sense of responsibility.
Women are part of that change – and I will fight with them.
Hope this helps
