Nothing changes the lives of children in rural India like a good education. This is especially true for girls.
If girls are in school they are free from domestic servitude.
Education provides protection
75% of women in India get married under age, some as young as 13. But while they are in education, this doesn’t happen. Schooling protects these girls from an early marriage that they would not choose. Also girls who are in school are not at home trapped in a life of domestic servitude. School not only educates but gives young girls a chance to have a childhood.
Girls who have studied at Bethesda have gone on to be teachers, engineers and doctors.
Education offers opportunities
Girls who receive an education have better prospects. Bethesda have seen girls from the poorest of families go on to be doctors, engineers and teachers. Girls who have never been outside their local province have studied abroad. They then often return to make a real difference in their local community. One girl who lived at Bethesda because she had no family now works with women who have escaped the sex trade. She is giving back all she has received from Bethesda.
Educating a communities children benefits everybody. It improves health, prospects and provides opportunities. Also the school employs many people from neighbouring villages.
Education makes a difference to the whole community
A good education doesn’t just improve the lives of the recipient. It also has a lasting effect on the community as a whole for generations to come. Girls with an education marry later and have healthier children. In fact a child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to live beyond the age of five. This benefits the whole community.
Unfortunately not all children have access to a good education. This is especially true in more rural areas. Also the cost of education can be prohibitive to poorer families. Many children do not attend school regularly and 80% of girls do not attend school beyond the age of 10. That is why Bethesda needs your help to subsidies a quality education for these children.