Mark your calendars for December 10th

Nov 19th, 2009 9:35 AM UTC
By ONE Partners

Check out this post from Desmond Serrette from the US Chapter of the Global Campaign for Education, of which ONE is a major partner:

I’m happy to announce the December 10th National Day of Action when we are calling on those who understand the important role that education plays in the health, safety and economic security of the world’s children to take action and let President Obama know we support his call for a fully endowed Global Fund for Education.

There are nearly 75 million children across the globe unable to attend primary school this year. Children are blocked out of classroom doors by high schooling fees, long distances to travel to the nearest school, and an insufficient number of teachers, to name a few.

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This statement is especially powerful when one explores the impact that education plays in helping solve so many of the world’s problems. Simply put: Education Saves Lives, Reduces Poverty and Makes a Safer World.

You don’t have to wait until December 10th:

You can sign a petition right now urging President Obama to support a Global Fund for Education to ensure a quality education for all the world’s children.

Did you know:

• In Africa, 5 million children each year die before their 5th birthday, yet children of mothers with just a few years of primary education are 40% more likely to survive into adulthood
• Providing mothers with basic education is more effective than food aid in ending childhood malnutrition
• An estimated 700,000 cases of HIV/AIDS could be prevented each year in Africa alone, if all children received a primary education
• Education is by far the best predictor of democratic attitudes in a country; more education corresponds directly to more democratic attitudes

There is an answer: In September 2008, then candidate Barack Obama pledged to lead the world in creating and endowing a Global Fund for Education. A Global Fund could ensure that the global education deficit is tackled with sufficient resources and political resolve to put in every child in school. Just as the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria has worked together to raise billions of dollars and saved over 3.5 million lives, a Global Fund for Education would provide enough resources so the lives of the poor can be better lived – in health, security, hope and prosperity.

Let President Obama know right now that you support a fully endowed Global Fund for Education. Together, we can lead the way in providing a healthier global society, a safer planet, and a world in which living on less than a dollar a day is no longer a reality for anyone. Thank you!

TAGS: From Our Partners, Global Campaign for Education