Ending Poverty Through Education

Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is fear for the future and living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of freedom.

The forgotten world is made up primarily of the developing nations, where most of the people, comprising more than fifty percent of the total world population, live in poverty, with fear of famine a continual menace. So what role can education play in a realistic anti-poverty policy agenda?

Education benefits people's health, from a mother's pre-birth condition to the likelihood of developing diseases later in life. Women with at least 6 years of education are more likely to use prenatal vitamins and other useful tactics during pregnancy, thus reducing the risk of maternal or infant mortality. Also, the child of an educated mother is two times more likely to survive to the age of 5 than an uneducated mother. Mothers who have received education are 50 percent more likely to vaccinate their child than mothers with little to no education.

People who have received education are also less likely to develop diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Studies show that women who have not received education are more likely to develop said disease compared to women who have received sufficient amount of education. In general, education increases people's knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle. This is due to the fact that individuals who are educated know more about nutrition and are more likely to buy healthier foods for themselves and their family.

Economic growth is a natural effect when education is taken more seriously. It has been proven that each extra year of schooling increases salaries by nearly ten percent. This means that the country's GDP increases by one percent annually by providing education. Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty and advancing economic growth, are one and same fight. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Education has proven to benefit women and girls at a higher rate compared to males. The empowerment that girls receive from an education both personally and economically is unmatched by any other factor. Women who are educated are better decision makers and have higher self-confidence. They are more knowledgeable about how to care for their families. Studies show that in Kenya, if female farmers were provided with the same amount of education and resources as male farmers, crop yields could increase by twenty two percent. This idea applies globally. 

A newly published paper by UNESCO shows that education is critical to escape chronic poverty and to prevent the transmission of poverty between generations. The rate of return is higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Primary education has a higher rate of return than secondary education. Education also enables those in paid formal employment to earn higher wages. One year of education is associated with ten percent increase in wages.

Ending poverty through education may sound like a big chore, but it is definitely not impossible. Change is the end result of all true learning. Illiteracy contributes to poverty; encouraging children to pick up a book is fundamental. A quality education grants us the ability to fight the war of ignorance and poverty. Remember, "One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world," said Malala Yousafzai.