Gender and Poverty Webinar Thursday February 9, 2012 Speaker: Amboka Wameyo, World Vision Canada

1. Gender and Poverty Webinar Thursday February 9, 2012 Speaker: Amboka Wameyo, World Vision Canada

2. Introductions Bruce Peninsula District School Lion’s Head, Ontario C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Toronto, Ontario Nanaimo District Secondary Nanaimo, British Columbia Amboka Wameyo, World Vision Tanzania/Kenya

5. What Happens When Girls Don’t Get a Chance? • Approx 25% of girls in developing countries are not in school. • In 2009 around 35 million girls were out of school compared to 31 million boys. • Almost ½ of the world’s out of school girls are in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Around ¼ are in South Asia. • One girl in 7 in developing countries marries by age fifteen. 38 % marry by age 18. • 25 to 50% of girls in developing countries are mothers before age 18. • Pregnancy is the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide. • 75% of HIV-infected youth in Africa are girls. • Sources: • The Mother and Child Health and Education Trust website • The World Bank: Girl’s Education • Center for Gender Equity: “Keeping The Promise : Five Benefits of Girls’ Secondary Education” (May Rihani, 2006)

6. What Happens When We Invest in Girls Education? • When a girl in the developing world receives 7+ years of education, • she marries 4 years later, and has 2.2 fewer children. • An extra year of primary school boosts a girl’s eventual wages by 10-20 %, • an extra year of secondary school by 15-25 %. • When you educate a girl you educate her family as well. • 90 % of income earned by women and girls is invested back into their families, • compared to 30-40 % for men. • Five Main Benefits of Providing Secondary Education for Girls • 1. Increased primary school enrollment and completion. • 2. Social benefits such as higher economic growth, better health care and education. • 3. Adult women have healthier children. • 4. Prevention strategy against HIV and AIDS. • 5. A tool for poverty alleviation.

8. Grace (5 years old) Daniel (5 years old) • Value of girls (cultural preference) • Gender selection • Terms defined: gender equality and gender • based discrimination

9. Grace (10 years old) Daniel (10 years old) • Domestic roles/chores • Access to primary education • (parity at enrolment and in primary school)

10. Questions

11. Grace (teen) Daniel (teen) • Early forced marriage/poverty • Circumcision and initiation into adulthood (clear gender roles) • Conflict • Secondary Education/Employment • “Choice” vs. Necessity • Rural vs. Urban • Participation and voice

12. Grace (adult) Daniel (adult) • Child birth (number, spacing, health) • effects of HIV and AIDS • Labour/employment • Differentiation of roles (women’s responsibilities for • food security, children’s health, water, etc.) • Inheritance of land and family wealth • Voice and agency (community, political power)

13. Questions

14. World Vision Interventions and Gender Programming • Awareness campaigns for gender equality • Changing cultural attitudes and perceptions of women • Child and maternal health programs • Early marriage interventions (attitudes and laws) • Access to education: formal and non-formal • Advocacy with communities and governments (child parliaments)

15. Questions

16. Further Resources: World Vision CONNECT Resources: The Girl Factor www.worldvision.ca/connect/teachers Because I am a Girl: Plan Canada campaign www.becauseiamagirl.ca World Bank: Girl’s Education website www.worldbank.org/education/girls The Female Factor: New York Times series http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/world/series/the_female_factor/index.html

17. Thank You! Join our next Live Webinar Child Protection in Haiti, Monday March 5, 12 noon to 1 p.m. (EDT) with Carleen McGuinty, WVC Child Protection Specialist Contact Nancy Del Col and Hoa Truong-White, WVC Global Education Team Global_ed@worldvision.ca