— Graduate Women
International news —
Graduate
Women International (GWI) will serve as the global secretariat for a girls¡¯
education network Local champions
leading the way for girls¡¯ education have largely gone unnoticed. Despite real
challenges—like inadequate public funding, poor learning outcomes, and gender
inequalities—community leaders all over the world are chipping away at the
problems by providing safe and quality education for girls despite difficult
conditions. A multi-stakeholder process to collectively generate the scope and
design of a network to support these efforts and enable millions of girls¡¯
enrolment and retention at secondary school has been underway for the past nine
months, facilitated by the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution.
The process has been driven by over 150 local girls¡¯ education champions from
more than 20 countries around the world. Graduate Women International (GWI) will serve as the global
secretariat for the network, which will connect local girls¡¯ education champions
across sectors, regions, and countries to other organisations and networks that
can learn from them, support them, and amplify their voices. Read more here.
— GWI member news
—
Turkish
Cypriot Association of University Women (TACUW)
hosts presentation and funds
scholarshipsIn March 2016 the Turkish Cypriot Association of University Women (TACUW)
hosted the noted Professor Oğuz Karakartal to give a presentation about the life
of Hasane Ilgaz. She was instrumental in reporting on the educational system of
the Turkish Cypriots to the Turkish authorities during the 1950s. She went on to
become a member of the Parliament of Turkey. TACUW has also actively raised
scholarship funds - for the 2016-2020 period, TACUW has raised enough to secure
full scholarships for two successful Turkish Cypriot girls in financial need for
the Cyprus American University in Nicosia.
— Advocacy
—
Ending child
marriage - civil society and community-driven initiatives in sub-Saharan
AfricaLaws to end child
marriage must be accompanied by integrated interventions in education, health
and social protection, as well as awareness-raising activities in communities.
Changing practices that are seen as coping mechanisms to protect girls and lift
families out of poverty calls for context-specific solutions. In Zimbabwe, two
young girls successfully led a legal campaign to recognise 18 as the minimum age
of marriage. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, civil society urged the
Ministry of Gender to launch the African Union campaign to end child marriage.
These are only two examples of community-driven initiatives that deserve wider
support and recognition in a region where 26% of girls are married before their 18th
birthday. Civil society was able to provide inputs into the Model Law at a
consultation held by Girls Not Brides, in collaboration with the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Southern African Litigation Centre and Plan
International earlier in March. GWI seeks to educate communities about the
benefits of girls education through advocacy and projects such as Teachers for Rural Futures in Uganda.
—
Applications
—
UNESCO
International Literacy Prizes now open for
applicationsThe United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is calling for
nominations for its two Literacy Prizes, with a particular focus on innovation. Since
1967, UNESCO International Literacy Prizes have rewarded excellence and
innovation in the field of literacy. Through these prestigious Prizes, UNESCO
seeks to support effective literacy practices and encourages the promotion of
dynamic literate societies. Over 470 projects and programmes undertaken by
governments, non-governmental organisations and individuals around the world
have been recognised. Deadline for nominations: 4 July 2016. Details and the application forms can be downloaded
here.
— Give the gift of
education —
Join our GlobalGiving campaign and help us raise $50,000 to
support 50 women student teachers in 2016. GWI provides scholarships and
mentoring support to young women from rural areas of Uganda to become qualified
teachers and ambassadors for girls¡¯ education. Donate now and help us train
women teachers to train 1000s of students. You can read more about GWI¡¯s
project Teachers for Rural Futures here.
— Other events
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