Training Young Girls Can Jump-Start an Economy

Women and girls have always been the focal point of BRAC's anti-poverty approach, as the organization not only recognizes their vulnerabilities but also their thirst and potential as agents of change. This viewpoint helped make BRAC a pioneer implementer of the "Girl Effect," a Nike and NoVo Foundation-led mission to create opportunities for girls and for the world.

As Alyson Warhurst described in a recent Business Week article entitled "Girl Effect Could Lift the Global Economy":

"There are 600 million adolescent girls in developing countries, but they are
largely invisible to the world at large. To ignore them is to miss the 'girl
effect,' which could be an unexpected answer to the global economic crisis."

The effect of providing these often overlooked girls with education, health care and an opportunity to raise their standard of living does not only effect the individual but can provide significant benefits to the society and economy. For example:

• When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children

• Educated girls grow into educated women, who - research shows - have healthier babies and are more likely to educate their children

• When girls and women earn income, they reinvest 90% of it into their families, as compared to only 30 to 40% for a man

• An extra year of primary school boosts girls' future wages by 10 to 20%

• An extra year of secondary school boosts girls' future wages by 15 to 25%

As a group, girls still receive less than 1% of official development assistance, yet many development professionals agree that educating young women yields some of the highest returns of all development investments. To realize the potential impact of the "Girl Effect" throughout the world, additional support and attention is needed.Click here to learn more about the Girl Effect.

Click here to support BRAC's programs for girls in Tanzania and Bangladesh.