Ever wondered what it takes to keep girls in school in remote areas 🤔? In rural Uganda, teenage girls once faced the harsh choice of dropping out to marry early or pushing through classrooms without basic sanitation and safety. That's until the Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) program stepped in. By building safe, gender-responsive campuses, PEAS now supports nearly 300,000 students across Uganda, Zambia and Ghana, giving girls the chance to learn in dignified spaces.
And that's just one story. In Zambia, the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) has flipped the script since 2001, helping over 617,000 young women from rural communities complete secondary school. Equipped with leadership skills and community know-how, many CAMFED grads are now role models back in their villages, where not long ago, girls' education was left on the sidelines.
These inspiring projects were celebrated at the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education, held in Beijing in the Chinese mainland. Kenyan and Lebanese initiatives took home awards this year, honored by Peng Liyuan (UNESCO special envoy) and Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's director-general.
During the ceremony, Peng Liyuan delivered a message that hits home for tech-loving youth everywhere: as we enter an age defined by artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid tech advances, women must be armed with science education. "We must place greater emphasis on women's science education," she urged, calling on us to boost our tech skills, innovation and confidence. "We must strive to ensure that women can embrace the technological revolution and create fulfilled lives."
For young adults in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Peng's words are a rallying cry. Whether it's a coding bootcamp in Mumbai, a robotics club in Manila, or a design hackathon in Jakarta, investing in girls' STEM education is key to building more inclusive, innovative futures. After all, when girls thrive in science, we all level up 🌏🚀.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
