How Kaplan and Plan International are Saving Lives Through Education

This International Women’s Day, we're celebrating our partnership with Plan International and its Sierra Leone teaching project that is aiming to get girls into schools and make sure they have nothing preventing them from receiving an education. Since partnering with Plan International, Kaplan International has funded 19 women to train as teachers in the hope that this will work to break the cycles of poverty in the country as well as reduce the rate of child mortality.

Did you know?

• Approximately one-third of the reductions in adult mortality and nearly 15% of the reductions in infant mortality from 1970 to 2010 can be attributed to gains in female schooling
• Mothers’ education improves child nutrition. If all women had a secondary education, 12 million children would be saved from stunting from malnutrition
• A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of five, 50% more likely to be immunized, and twice as likely to attend school themselves.

These teachers will go on to change the lives of thousands of children. School is a place that gives girls a chance to make their voices heard, exercise their own agency and get access to leadership opportunities. Too often they can be refused the right to education which denies them the chance to develop skills to take charge or their homes, careers, communities and even countries.

As well as improving individual lives and giving everyone more opportunities, it's also estimated that if all girls went to school for at least 12 years, low and middle-income countries could add $92bn per year to their economies.

Voices from the project: Mamie and Daisy

Mamie and Daisy are both enrolled in the Eastern Polytechnic, Bunumbu campus and have graduated into Year 2. Mamie has been surprised by the ease at which she adapted to canvas life, stating “I have made new friends and learned many new things and I feel confident to speak up to the lecturer – I used to be shy but that shyness has gone.” Daisy reflects how the daily planning she is required to do has made her better organized.

Both Mami and Daisy are part of student study groups – they come together in the evenings of the residential courses and pool resources to pay for accommodation and food. If an ST is having particular difficulty with one subject the other student teachers take time to ensure they are able to catch up.

If you would like to discover more about the project or are interested in making a donation, you can find out more at plan-international.org.