Good news! Canada will double its pledge to the Global Partnership for Education to $180 million over the next three years (2018-2020). Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada’s pledge at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. This renewed commitment represents an increase in Canada’s giving from $30 million a year to $60 million a year.
As you know, GRAN, along with members of the Canadian International Education Policy Working Group (CIEPWG) and other Canadian civil society organizations, has been calling on the Canadian government to increase its political and financial commitments to girls’ education. Our voices were heard, despite the announced commitment falling short of the $260 million Canadian CSO’s and the GPE had been asking for.
We are encouraged by this pledge, knowing that Canada recognizes the importance of education in achieving gender equality and the full empowerment of girls and women. However, education in development still only receives 8% of Canadian Official Development Assistance (ODA), falling short of the 15% that global advocates are asking donor countries to give. We look forward to more bilateral and humanitarian announcements to support global education in the upcoming year.
Many Canadians became engaged in education issues in the past year. Along with our partners in the CIEPWG, thousands of actions were taken to bring forward the need to support education. GRAN members were a significant part of actions taken and we thank you all for your commitment and continued efforts.
This is an exciting time for improving the human rights of girls and women of all ages. An important step forward in the fight for gender equality was taken this week. The journey continues. The road of advocacy is not easy, but we can celebrate that we have been a part of making change and breaking down barriers so that many girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa will be better able to claim their rights and lift themselves out of poverty.
You can read the Prime Minister's full news release by clicking here.
GRAN member Myrtle Blinn took part with thousands of others in Saturday's Women's March in the nation's capital, one of many such marches held around the world to stand up for equality and justice and to stand against gender-based harassment and violence.
Myrtle speaks eloquently in an Ottawa Citizen article about why she is marching. Read the full article here.
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Financing Conference is coming up in just two weeks. 43 civil society organisations, among them GRAN, have written an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and the other leaders of the G7 countries to urge them to increase their commitment to funding education.
As one of the wealthiest economies in the world, Canada is in a unique position to demonstrate its continued commitment to financing education around the globe. GRAN is hoping Canada will set a powerful example by making a bold and generous pledge in Senegal on February 2nd.
You can read the full text of the letter to the G7 leadership by clicking here.
Schools do not exist in social isolation from their communities. The way teachers behave can reflect the beliefs, attitudes and prejudices existing in the wider society around them. Education and its teachers have a central role to play in challenging the negative social norms that drive gender-based violence and to ending violence in schools and in their communities. Read more to find out how teachers can be a strong force in the fight to end gender-based violence.
http://blog.ungei.org/how-teachers-can-help-end-gender-based-violence-in-schools
We can let our decision makers in Ottawa know that we want to support the building of strong national education systems with well trained teachers in sub-Saharan Africa. Consider leaving a phone message to Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau’s office to support funding for the Global Partnership for Education. A sample message can be found here.
http://grandmothersadvocacy.org
grandmothersadvocacy@gmail.com
According to the UN, young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are twice as likely to become infected with HIV as young men of the same age. In eastern and southern Africa, young women account for more than 25% of new HIV infections even though they only make up 10% of the population. Why is this happening? For one thing, there is no easy way for many of these young women to protect themselves against HIV during sex. It is time to invest in providing women with options for HIV prevention that they can control. Promising new technologies and Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy offer new hope, says Lebogang Motsumi, a South African HIV activist. Find out more about the role Canada can play by clicking here.
Can you even imagine for a moment what your life would be like if you could not read? Florence Cheptoo, who lives in a village in rural Kenya, learned to read at age 60 when her granddaughter began to bring books home from school.
Where there is a school and a library in a community, they become central places for learning. There are resources in the community when grandmothers and others advocate for literacy training. Teachers will often offer literacy classes for those in the community who wish to learn.
Florence’s world has opened up and she now has more control over her own life. Read more about Florence’s literacy journey by clicking here.
While Trump and the actions of media celebrities dominate the headlines, global statistics related to violence, education and the reproductive rights of women and girls receive less attention. Click here to read the recent Lancet editorial explaining why these facts should spark outrage and how a new global campaign aims to change them. SheDecides aims to stand up, change the rules and unlock resources to enhance the fundamental rights of each and every woman and girl to decide what she does with her body and with whom.
This Thanksgiving, we Canadians have so much to be thankful for. Many of us are grateful for the wonderful teachers that have influenced us and given us the knowledge and tools to become who we are today….. women and men with freedom of choice and opportunity, who can fully participate in our society and direct our own future.
Teachers all over the world are shaping the future for millions of children, particularly those that need it most. World Teachers’ Day was marked on October 5th. Let's take this opportunity to look at how the work of the Global Partnership for Education is supporting teaching and learning all over the world. Click here to read more.
According to environmental activist Paul Hawken of Project Drawdown, the number one solution to global warming is not an innovative clean energy technology, but the empowering of women and girls.
Learn more about the data that has led to this astonishing conclusion by listening to Hawken in a 2-minute video excerpt here.
You may also wish to visit the Project Drawdown website to find out more about these gender-based solutions for climate change. Click each link below to access information on the impact on climate of:
5,000,000 Canadian children will head back to school this week to well-trained teachers, a holistic curriculum, the latest technology and new friends. But almost 100,000,000 sub-Saharan children will not be stepping foot inside a school this year. They face innumerable challenges to access a quality education such as early marriage, conflict situations, and gender norms. Watch this slide show from the Global Partnership for Education to learn more about the many barriers children and young people around the world face this September when trying to access a quality education.
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