Dh22 million pledged for girls’ education

Thousands of girls in the Philippines, South Sudan and Mozambique without access to education will return to schools as Dubai Cares pledged Dh22 million on Tuesday, in support for girls’ education.

New classrooms, more teachers and better school infrastructure will be created with the money offered by Dubai Cares.

Girl students with a Dubai Cares official at a school in the Philippines. — Supplied photo

“This is one of the gifts from Dubai to the world. As future mothers and wives, who will play an integral role in nurturing and raising families, these girls hold the key to a future generation of educated and enlightened children,” Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, said at a media roundtable. The financial commitment has been pledged in support of the International Day of the Girl, a United Nations-recognised day, which will be celebrated on October 11.

“Dubai cares has always championed girls’ education and each of our programmes has touched the lives of girls,” added Tariq.

Dubai Cares will work in partnership with Plan International Canada, a leading international development agency, to distribute funds over a period of four years. Both agencies will design unique education programmes to help address the needs of local communities.

In South Sudan, the commitment is expected to support teacher-training initiatives and help support the country’s new education framework. The new programmes will also hope to reach out to girls who have discontinued education due to social pressures. All initiatives will work with local NGOs and government partners in an effort to reduce barriers to education. Globally, one in five adolescent girls around the world are denied education by the daily realities of poverty, discrimination and violence.

Forced marriage, sexual exploitation and gender discrimination are common in places with low literacy and poor access to schools and sanitation.

“Girl education breaks the cycle of poverty. We are very impressed to see a young organisation like Dubai Cares take a leadership role in this cause,” said Dr Tanjina Mirza, vice-president of International Programmes at Plan International.

The International Day of the Girl was declared by the United Nations in 2012 to recognise girls’ rights globally and support action to address discrimination. -muaz@khaleejtimes.com