Hillary Clinton:
Education for Girls’ Futures
Through the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative, Hillary Clinton unveiled a new program, CHARGE: The Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls Education, to provide secondary education for 14 million girls over five years. The plight of women and girls around the world is a concern Hillary Clinton knows well. As Secretary of State, she raised the status of women and girls around the world, increasing the chance for girls to receive an education and to improve their futures. Recognizing that no society can achieve its full potential “when half the population is denied the opportunity to achieve theirs,” Sec. Clinton made advancing education for girls a major focus of U.S. foreign policy efforts.
Launched Education Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls Around the World
Sec. Clinton launched multiple public and private sector initiatives to raise the status of girls and promote girls’ education around the world. According to a fact sheet on Sec. Clinton’s new public and private initiatives to raise the status of girls, “On the eve of the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child, Secretary Clinton today convened a meeting with leaders in government and the private sector, including South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of The Elders, to discuss their shared commitment to improving the lives of girls worldwide. Following the meeting, the Secretary announced new U.S. Government and private initiatives to prevent child marriage and promote girls’ education around the world.” [“Secretary Clinton Launches New Public and Private Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls,” state.gov, 10/10/12]
Sec. Clinton started the TechGirls classroom exchange program to increase the number of girls entering the tech field. According to a State Department press release, “The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today that the inaugural group of TechGirls — an initiative that brings 25 teenage girls from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen to the United States — will arrive June 25 in New York City for a three-week exchange. As part of U.S. efforts to increase the number of girls and women entering the technology field, the TechGirls will engage with their American counterparts in the classroom and within the broader technology community as they learn how to harness their potential in the science and technology sectors through hands-on skill development, such as programming, robotics, mobile application building, web design, video graphics, and 3D game design.” [“TechGirls: Empowering Girls in the Middle East and North Africa through Technology,” state.gov, 6/22/12]
Under Sec. Clinton, the State Department partnered with the NGO Room to Read to support girls from South Asia who were at risk of dropping out of school. According to Sec. Clinton’s remarks at the UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, “The United States has partnered with the NGO Room to Read to support girls from South Asia who are at risk of dropping out of school. This is a small project. We invested only $145,000 in things like school uniforms, shoes, educational supplies, and medical checkups. And we also put in place support for mentoring programs, tutoring and community organizing. Not a single one of the more than 1,000 participating girls dropped out of school.” [Remarks at the UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, state.gov, 5/26/11]
Sec. Clinton introduced the Empowering Adolescent Girls to Lead through Education (EAGLE) initiative, emphasizing leadership training and reducing barriers for girls to attend secondary school. According to a State Department fact sheet on Sec. Clinton’s new public and private initiatives to raise the status of girls, “Empowering Adolescent Girls to Lead through Education (EAGLE). The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are working together to ensure thousands of adolescent girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make successful transitions to secondary school. Just 11 percent of Congolese women over age 25 have secondary educations, and studies show that keeping girls in school dramatically reduces their vulnerability to HIV and improves overall health outcomes. A five-year $15 million initiative, EAGLE seeks to raise this rate by tackling many of the barriers keeping girls from continuing their post-primary educations — including cost and school safety. The program will emphasize leadership training for girls.” [“Secretary Clinton Launches New Public and Private Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls,” state.gov, 10/10/12]
Spearheaded Efforts to Study and Improve Education for Girls
Sec. Clinton launched the Secretary’s International Fund for Women and Girls to invest in improvements to education, health, and economic opportunities. According to a State Department press release, “Secretary Clinton announced the launch of the ‘Secretary’s International Fund for Women and Girls’ this morning during remarks for the Summit on Entrepreneurship. The Fund is a State Department-led public-private partnership committed to providing flexible, rapid, targeted, and high-impact grants to nongovernmental organizations working to meet the critical needs of women and girls around the world. It is administered by the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. The Fund invests in efficient and innovative solutions to combat violence, improve health and education, promote climate change solutions, and create economic and political opportunities for women and girls.” [“Secretary Clinton Announces the ‘Secretary’s International Fund for Women and Girls,’” state.gov, 4/28/10]
Sec. Clinton’s State Department sponsored teacher exchange programs focused on education for girls. According to Sec. Clinton’s remarks in honor of the first-ever International Day of the Girl, “Every teacher who comes to the United States through our teacher training programs will receive training to address the challenges that girls face staying in school. And we will sponsor teacher exchanges focused exclusively on girls’ education.” [Remarks in Honor of the First-ever International Day of the Girl, state.gov, 10/10/12]
Sec. Clinton initiated a study with UNESCO on “education for women and girls around the world.” In her remarks at the UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, Sec. Clinton said, “The United States is proud to join with UNESCO to launch what we hope will be an important new study on education for women and girls around the world. And before you say, ‘Another report,’ which is often the reaction, let me quickly add that this report will draw on UNESCO’s unique expertise in data collection and analysis to provide new insights into the causes of gender disparities and education and what we can do about them. It will focus in particular on two critical areas: adult literacy and secondary education. We are making progress in many parts of the world on primary education, but something happens at the end of primary school.” [Remarks at the UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, state.gov, 5/26/11]
Secured Greater Investment in Education for Women and Girls
Sec. Clinton launched a partnership with the Abbott Fund “to invest one million dollars in the health and education” of women and girls. In her remarks to the Lower Mekong Initiative Women’s Gender Equality and Empowerment Dialogue in Cambodia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “[T]oday I am pleased to add that we are also launching a new partnership with the nonprofit Abbott Fund to invest one million dollars in the health and education for women and girls.” [Remarks to the Lower Mekong Initiative Women’s Gender Equality and Empowerment Dialogue, state.gov, 7/13/12]
The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program committed $39 million to support secondary education to disadvantaged girls in Ghana and Uganda. According to a State Department fact sheet on Sec. Clinton’s new public and private initiatives to raise the status of girls, including, “The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program. As part of a $500 million commitment to education, The MasterCard Foundation has committed $39 million over the next ten years to provide comprehensive support for secondary education, including peer support and mentorship, to talented yet economically disadvantaged girls in Ghana and Uganda.” [“Secretary Clinton Launches New Public and Private Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls,” state.gov, 10/10/12]
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation committed $10 million to improve participation in education for marginalized girls. According to a State Department fact sheet on Sec. Clinton’s new public and private initiatives to raise the status of girls, including, “MacArthur Foundation Girls Secondary Education in Developing Countries Strategy. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has committed $10 million over the next five years to efforts to improve participation by marginalized girls in quality, relevant secondary education.” [“Secretary Clinton Launches New Public and Private Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls,” state.gov, 10/10/12]
A collaborative effort by “the MacArthur Foundation, The MasterCard Foundation, the Douglas B. Marshall Jr. Family Foundation and two anonymous donors” awarded $6 million to support secondary education initiatives. According to a State Department fact sheet on Sec. Clinton’s new public and private initiatives to raise the status of girls, including, “Joint Initiative on Girls’ Secondary Education. The MacArthur Foundation, The MasterCard Foundation, the Douglas B. Marshall Jr. Family Foundation and two anonymous donors will collaborate to award more than $6 million over the next year to support innovative secondary education initiatives that provide learning opportunities and life and livelihood skills for underserved youth in East Africa, Nigeria, and India, with a special focus on girls.” [“Secretary Clinton Launches New Public and Private Initiatives to Raise the Status of Girls,” state.gov, 10/10/12]
Originally published at correctrecord.org.
