Street children attending school on a road in Mumbai.jpg

There is no single more important path to democracy, justice and a thriving economy, than an educated population. Connect the dots. A lack of education is the gateway to sexism, racism, poverty, orphaned children, child soldiers, poor economic results, human rights, HIV, civil wars and more.

Education creates a middle class. A middle class creates stability. Stability creates the pathways for upward mobility. An upwardly mobile population cherishes the pillars of democracy and the rule of law. It’s simple and powerful, yet country after country fails to shift its spending to this sector. Why? The poor don’t vote. The poor don’t have power. The poor (uneducated) don’t understand the means to get what they need. In most of the countries listed below, the literacy rate for men is significantly higher than that of women.

That problem too, is a huge factor in the cycle of poverty and violence and must be eliminated. The average life expectancy of a child in school on most of the countries below is between 6-8 years and literacy rates are often below 75%. While educating 75% of the population may appear significant, the math tells us that 25% of a population of only one hundred million people leaves twenty five million who are uneducated. By contrast, in the US, the average child stays in school for 15 years and the literacy rate there is 99%. By providing education to the poor, we will do more to correct injustice than any other single action.

JOIN POP'S "BACK TO SCHOOL" GROUP AND TAKE ACTION NOW!