Everyone deserves an education

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan on the 12^th of July, 1997.  As a child, she became a supporter for girls’ education, which led to a death threat by the Taliban issued to her.  On the 9^th of October, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was travelling home from school, but she survived, and has continued to speak out on the importance of education for all people.  She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013.  Malala was nominated again in 2014 and won, which resulted in her becoming the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize.

This is just one of many great stories of young people around the world who have embarked on the epic journey to gain the right for an education for all people.  Like Malala Yousafzai, I very strongly believe that this right is one which should be taken very seriously and should be dealt with as soon as possible.  Pakistan still has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world and the second largest out of school population, 5.1 million children, after Nigeria.  (Wikipedia, 2015) This must be improved.  People in more fortunate countries do not fully appreciate that they are able to go to a school on a daily basis.  Yet these people like Malala Yousafzai are putting their lives on the line to be able to go to school.

Unfortunate children who are unable to receive an education will definitely find it very difficult to find a job and earn a salary without a decent education.  Unemployment, due to the lack of an education, will mean that these people will definitely find it hard to support and care for a family as they grow older. In developing, low-income countries, every additional year of education can increase a person’s future income by an average of 10%. (ref)

Children who are born into a poverty-stricken family often miss out on an education, as they are usually kept home to work and help support the family. Because of this, they never go to school, get a well-paying job, or move into higher ranks. This means that they will stay in their poorly-paying jobs getting only enough money for the necessities in life. After years, they may have families and the cycle of poverty continues.

All children must be allowed to reach their full potential in life. No one knows what children could be able to do without giving them a chance. For example, if a world famous football player never learnt how to play football, we would have never know about him. This could be the same for some young children in the developing countries. Somewhere in a developing country there could be a young girl with an amazing mind and sadly she will never have the opportunity to use that mind.

There are many organisations, such as Caritas for example, that help the more unfortunate children and families in the developing countries. Caritas helps to educate children all over the world and you can help to do that too, simply by donating money to Caritas.

Therefore it seems crucial for people to have an education everywhere around the world. Consequently, people are unable to obtain well-paying jobs and they will never have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The poverty cycle will then continue and this will go on for generations to come. It is for this reason that charities like Caritas need donations to help unfortunate children to become educated. This lack of education in developing countries must stop! You must help me to help these children to get the education they deserve. Donate to foundations like Caritas, or even sponsor a child through World Vision. We just have to remember that even the smallest donation can do a lot.