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Charitable foundations such as the one started by Joelle Wyser-Pratte are helping address the challenge of educating world’s poor. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This powerful proverb that has taught generations the power of education is still true – probably more so today when the world economy is moving from labor oriented tasks to cerebral tasks. Millions of people in developing nations, such as India and China, have come out of poverty by educating themselves and moving up the rungs of economic ladder. Not only can education help you realize personal dreams, but it can also solve many of the world’s pressing problems such as terrorism, war and other social malice.
The impact you can get from education exceeds that achieved by other means, as is shown in the proverb. Just imagine the number of kids who are educating themselves on YouTube by watching education videos created by Khan Academy. That is also one of the reasons Bill Gates has made education a priority in his charitable foundation. Arguably, the foundation started by Joelle Wyser-Pratte for educating young girls all over the world can have similar impact, even if it is on smaller scale.
According to the World Bank report educating kids in the developing nations can add significant benefit to country’s economy. If all girls in Kenya completed secondary school, they would add $27 billion to the Kenyan GDP over their lifetime. If Nigerian women had the same employment rate as men, they would contribute additional $13.9 billion in annual GDP. The list can go on for many other nations that are still in the developing stage from economic perspective.
So, how can you play a role in this education movement that has the potential to change so many lives? There are multiple ways to do it, and you don’t have to be rich as Bill Gates to have an impact. You can participate in the local school activities or become a school board member. One can also help teach a child to read by donating books or reading to the disadvantaged kids. You can contribute to local school fund raising, or to have a bigger impact contribute to the education charities, such as the one started by Joelle Wyser-Pratte and take pride and satisfaction in knowing that you have played your part in “teaching a man to fish” and “feeding him for lifetime.”
This post is sponsored by Joelle Wyser-Pratte – cofounder of The Ounavarra Foundation, a non-profit charitable foundation dedicated to supporting educational causes throughout the world.
