For Cartier Philanthropy, Educating a Girl Today Means Changing the World Tomorrow
The education of young girls will change the world and maybe even save the planet, according to Project Drawdown climate scientists, who have ranked girls’ education as the sixth most effective strategy to curb climate change. Their equal access to education has been one of the priorities of Cartier Philanthropy.
Educating women from an early age not only changes their daily lives but also the lives of their children and those of future generations. This is one of the missions of Cartier Philanthropy*,
which supports impact-driven organizations that make a difference for the education of girls and the emancipation of women throughout the world, from primary school through university. “365” magazine invites you to discover three such organizations.
In India, more than four million girls between the ages of seven and fourteen fail to show up at school each day. The reasons are many, ranging from deeply entrenched social and cultural norms, to poverty and economic factors and a lack of family support
Educate Girls tackles the barriers that keep girls from going to school in the most remote and rural parts of India. In collaboration with the Indian government and public schools, the organization relies on a large base of volunteers, known as Team Balika with one essential mission: to change the mentalities that prevent so many girls from accessing education.
Starting from a pilot project involving 50 schools in 2007, Educate Girls now operates in more than 20,000 villages in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Over one million girls have been able to pursue their primary education. Cartier Philanthropy has funded their unique approach since 2014.
When girls grow up and become teenagers, they are often forced to work or marry, and have to interrupt their schooling. The NGO Room to Read’s program for the education of young girls was founded on the belief that educated women can change the world.
Led by women from local communities, it provides girls with life-skills training sessions, individual and group mentoring, a social support system, and material support. More than three million students have already benefited from this program all over the world.
If girls manage to complete secondary school, what awaits them? Today, only 9.4% of sub-Saharan Africans pursue higher education. Funding remains the main obstacle. Ashesi University, located in Berekuso, in the Eastern Region of Ghana, was established with the purpose of educating a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa.
Ashesi is recognized as one of the best universities in Africa; it has distinguished itself by promoting ethical leadership, critical thinking, entrepreneurship and complex problem solving. Cartier Philanthropy funds the university to provide 29 scholarships to young women from underprivileged backgrounds.
* The foundation, created by Maison Cartier in 2012 and based in Geneva (Switzerland), finances non-profit organizations whose long-term social impact is proven. Over the past ten years, Cartier Philanthropy has invested more than 100 million Swiss francs, supporting more than 80 partner organizations around the world.
3 questions to Patrick AWUAH, Founder and President of Ashesi University
What is your view on the potential of youth on the continent of Africa?
Young people, thanks to advances in education, infrastructure and arable land, are showing stronger entrepreneurial spirit. With sustained investments in education quality and access, young people can certainly overcome the continent’s challenges and build a better future.
How do you approach the education curriculum to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow?
The jobs of the future will require workers with skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and an ability to draw on multiple perspectives and broad skills. Curricula should also teach ethical courage and action to enable students to be able to effectively champion a sustainable and human-centered future.
How do you bring a gender lens to the curriculum, recruitment and performance of Ashesi students?
We believe that student learning and conversations have stronger outcomes if there is gender balance and diverse representation. The university also has gender balance on its board, leadership and staff, ensuring that women have strong role models they can model their path after.
