Last week saw the African Union continue to celebrate 2024 as its Year of Education through the Pan-African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education (AU PACONGEd1), held July 2-5 in Addis Ababa. In keeping with the year’s focus, the event congregated thought leaders from across the continent to both assess the most pressing issues facing women & girls seeking education, and to look ahead at how to tackle them.
As advocates for girls’ education and a proud member of the Girls Opportunity Alliance (an organization of the Obama Foundation), we were honored to receive an invitation to send one such thought leader to the conference. Abigya Endale, one of our esteemed Regional Impact Leaders, took the stage this past Wednesday to draw attendees’ focus to gender-based violence (GBV) - a serious, widespread, and too commonly overlooked threat to equitable education for women and girls.
“This is not just about girls' education; it's about building the Africa we all dream of: an Africa where every voice is heard, and every girl has the opportunity to reach her full potential.”
Gender-based violence is a severe threat to girls’ educational prospects: victims of it are 2.5 times more likely to join the more than 32.6 million African girls currently out of school, per UNESCO. Abigya’s speech lent a human touch to this shocking fact, highlighting the stories of several girls in Studio Samuel’s program who would have otherwise contributed to the above figure. She spoke of abused girls forced out of their homes, sent across the country to a city they had never known, denied an education or even a chance at achieving their dreams. These, Abigya told the crowd, are the people Studio Samuel is devoted to lifting up. These are the people that need our help the most.
“These are not just numbers; they represent stolen dreams, futures cut short.”
Studio Samuel cannot, of course, solve this problem single-handedly. Abigya called on those in attendance to prioritize tackling GBV as an obstacle to education, starting with community influence and support. Through those our communities look up to, she asserts, we can challenge harmful norms and community attitudes, develop unique solutions best-suited to each community, and invest in ensuring our next generation of talent can follow their passions unimpeded.
“Religious and traditional leaders hold immense power. They are the moral compasses of their communities. By working together, we can leverage their influence.”
Studio Samuel is proud to have been a part of AU PACONGEd1 and our collective mission to drive a brighter future for girls in Africa, and looks forward to taking part in the strides yet to be taken in the African Union’s Year of Education. GBV will not be solved overnight, but while its root causes are addressed, programs like Training for Tomorrow continue to provide girls with the resources and opportunities they need to achieve their true potential.
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