From Faith to Action - Faith to Action Initiative

Protecting Girls’ Rights to EducationGirls can suffer the loss of education because of theirincreased caretaking responsibilities at home. Programs tokeep girls in school recognize that the more education youngwomen have, the more likely they are to avoid HIV infection,marry later, send their own children to school, and earn anincome, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty.“ I am where I am today because the Girl ChildNetwork believed in me and supported me togo further in my education. I think educatinggirls, like me, is important because it notonly helps one individual, it affects the livesof my siblings, other women in my village,and future generations of women to believe inthemselves and know that they can do more forthemselves, their families, and their children.”~From a girl who received school supportthrough the Girl Child Network of ZimbabweCatholic AIDS Action (CAA), Windhoek, NamibiaNangula’s life has not been easy. When her parents became sick, sheoften had to leave school in order to care for them. When they died,she missed a year of school because her elderly grandmother couldnot afford the school fees for her or her siblings. While Nangula’sstory is typical in Namibia, she is fortunate in one respect. A neighborreferred her to Catholic AIDS Action, which made sure that sheand her siblings could attend school once again. They also receiveafter-school tutoring and food from the local CAA soup kitchen. Asthe cold weather set in, every member of Nangula’s household wasgiven a winter blanket. Volunteers also visit the grandmother regularly.Catholic AIDS Action pays for school fees and buys uniforms forhundreds of children like Nangula. The organization also helps themwith school supplies, emotional support, clothing, and other needs.Volunteers monitor children’s wellbeing and provide additionalsupport to caregivers through home visits.Many community and faith-based organizationswork to ensure access to education,for girls as well as boys.13