Growing up, with access to education at my fingertips, I often took for granted the impact a quality education had in my life. I had good teachers, like-minded peers, transportation, free hot meals, a great building to learn in, and so much more. This is not the case for many girls in the third world.

In Kenya and similar places, while progress has been made, there are still significant gaps in the fight for equality in girls’ education. Most families still place higher value on boys as future breadwinners, and girls are often expected to care for siblings, manage household duties, or marry young. As a result, their education is pushed aside — not because they lack ability or ambition, but because the odds are stacked against them.

Globally, 129 million girls are out of school — including 32 million of primary school age and 97 million of secondary school age (UNESCO, 2023). In Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest rates of educational exclusion, 9 million girls aged 6–11 will never set foot in a classroom, compared to 6 million boys.

Even when girls start school, many do not finish. In rural Kenya, barriers such as poverty, menstruation without access to hygiene products, long travel distances to school, early pregnancy, child marriage, and gender-based violence are daily realities that prevent girls from staying in class. According to UNICEF, 1 in 4 girls in Kenya is married before the age of 18, and many drop out of school as a result.

Yet when a girl is educated, everything changes — for her, her family, and her community. Educated girls are more likely to marry later, earn a better income, and raise healthier children. One additional year of schooling can increase a woman’s earnings by up to 20% (World Bank). Girls who complete secondary school are three times less likely to contract HIV and far less likely to suffer abuse or exploitation.

Education is not just a privilege; it’s a lifeline.

When we invest in girls’ education, we don’t just open books — we open doors. We break cycles of poverty and empower a new generation of leaders, mothers, businesswomen, and world-changers.

Let’s not take that lightly.

Let’s fight for her future.