Give girls in Ethiopia a chance to go to school – and to stay healthy, avoid long work hours, and possibly get a job. 

Why we care: After two decades of conflict and violence, hundreds of thousands of Somali citizens have fled  to neighboring countries, such as Ethiopia–where less than 20% of girls between the ages of 12-17 are enrolled in school in many refugee camps. 

How we’re solving this: By working to catalyze and scale comprehensive programming for adolescent girls around the world through the United Nations, including providing financial support for families to educate their daughters.

Girls need access to high-quality, safe learning environments.  Girls often face social isolation and are confined to the home, making it difficult for programs to reach them.  Poverty keeps girls out of school because their families cannot afford school fees, or girls are forced to help support their families by doing chores or work during the school day. In Ethiopia, the UN Foundation supports a program that provides families in the Jijiga refugee camp with financial support to send girls to schools that offer safe spaces where girls can thrive. These scholarships will be awarded to 50 girls to enable them to attend secondary school. 

In the long-term, once enrolled in school, girls are able to thrive and invest into their families and communities. Educated girls are more likely to seek healthcare for themselves and their children, marry later, and have fewer children, which decreases her risk of dying during childbirth and increases her children’s chance of survival. An extra year of elementary school boosts girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 percent, and an extra year of secondary school adds 15 to 25 percent. Educating more girls will help break the cycle of poverty.