African Center for Youth Development, Education and Advocacy Initiative’s Post

#AkumActForEducation This week, we highlighted the critical issue of girls’ access to education in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, 9 million girls aged 6 to 11 are out of school, underscoring the need for local initiatives. Our Co-Founder & Head of Partnerships and Public Relations Jennifer Eloundou introduces Malaika in the Democratic Republic of Congo founded by Noella Coursaris Musunka . Through its four pillars—education, health, water access, and sports—Malaika empowers young girls to build a brighter future. The Malaika School, established in 2011, provides free primary and secondary education for 430 girls, focusing on technology, the arts, and environmental protection. Together, we can transform girls’ education into a reality! 🎥 : Estelle N. #akumabooks #akumactforeducation #africa #sdg4 #youth #education #qualityeducation #genderequality #women #girls #mentorship #rdc #school #mentorship #gbv

Across Africa, young girls and women face barriers to technical and vocational education due to social norms, long distances and high costs. Female participation is lowest in Tanzania (12%) and Seychelles (18%) and highest in Niger (49%) and São Tomé and Príncipe (56%). To unlock Africa's potential, we must invest in skills development for everyone, ensuring equal opportunities for women. Learn more in Africa's Development Dynamics for #YouthSkillsDay (link in the comments). African Union #AfricaDevelopment

AFRICA DAY 2024 | As a group we are wholly committed to unlocking our continent’s potential, which is why education is at the heart of our social efforts. This is where our future lives. There are however mountains to climb, with these three issues being the tallest: 1: ACCESS: Simple access to education remains one of the continent's most pressing issues. While school attendance has increased, many rural areas still face imbalances, with children having to traverse great distances. 2: GENDER INEQUALITY: Girls and young women encounter significant cultural and safety barriers, hindering their access to education. (*UNESCO's research shows that 9 million sub-Saharan girls aged 6-11 may never attend school. 3: LOW-QUALITY SCHOOLING: Severe shortages of physical and learning resources, coupled with a lack of modern technology and adequately trained teachers, contribute to this issue. Language barriers and basic comprehension challenges further limit learning. The theme set by the African Union for 2024 has never been more relevant: "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century," with a focus on building resilient education systems that offer increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa. #AfricaDay #AfricanUnion #UNESCO #ThePowerOfAnd #SharedSustainability #SocialImpact

AFRICA DAY 2024 | As a group, Logico and CA&S are wholly committed to unlocking our continent’s potential, which is why education is at the heart of our social efforts. This is where our future lives. There are however mountains to climb, with these three issues being the tallest: 1: ACCESS: Simple access to education remains one of the continent's most pressing issues. While school attendance has increased, many rural areas still face imbalances, with children having to traverse great distances. 2: GENDER INEQUALITY: Girls and young women encounter significant cultural and safety barriers, hindering their access to education. (*UNESCO's research shows that 9 million sub-Saharan girls aged 6-11 may never attend school. 3: LOW-QUALITY SCHOOLING: Severe shortages of physical and learning resources, coupled with a lack of modern technology and adequately trained teachers, contribute to this issue. Language barriers and basic comprehension challenges further limit learning. The theme set by the African Union for 2024 has never been more relevant: "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century," with a focus on building resilient education systems that offer increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa. #AfricaDay #AfricanUnion #UNESCO #ThePowerOfAnd #TheLogicoWay #SharedSustainability #SocialImpact

AFRICA DAY 2024 | As a group we are wholly committed to unlocking our continent’s potential, which is why education is at the heart of our social efforts. This is where our future lives. There are however mountains to climb, with these three issues being the tallest: 1: ACCESS: Simple access to education remains one of the continent's most pressing issues. While school attendance has increased, many rural areas still face imbalances, with children having to traverse great distances. 2: GENDER INEQUALITY: Girls and young women encounter significant cultural and safety barriers, hindering their access to education. (*UNESCO's research shows that 9 million sub-Saharan girls aged 6-11 may never attend school. 3: LOW-QUALITY SCHOOLING: Severe shortages of physical and learning resources, coupled with a lack of modern technology and adequately trained teachers, contribute to this issue. Language barriers and basic comprehension challenges further limit learning. The theme set by the African Union for 2024 has never been more relevant: "Educate an African fit for the 21st Century," with a focus on building resilient education systems that offer increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa. #AfricaDay #AfricanUnion #UNESCO #ThePowerOfAnd #SharedSustainability #SocialImpact

On this International Day of Education, it is timely to remember that education is a human right, and is recognised as such in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Number 4) developed by the UN as part of its Sustainable Development Agenda and underpins the other 16 SDGs as well. Education can support enhancement economic and personal wellbeing and without it, children are denied the ability to learn, change their circumstances and set their own agenda for life. Not only is their potential limited, but often so is their actual lifespan. Whilst education may be a human right, it is often one which is excessively ignored, violated or simply unavailable. Today, 250 million children and adolescents are out of school and 763 million adults are illiterate, according to UNESCO. The UN says that “617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school.” Contributing to those dire statistics are unpleasant but all-too prevalent realties such as school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), which effectively denies children the opportunity to learn safely. The Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking to address SRGBV in its school system. OSACO was recently able to bring its expertise to support those efforts by offering specialised training to a pool of investigators, equipping them to professionally manage allegations of SEAH in schools, making them safer places conducive to learning for all children. You can read our 20 December post to learn more about that work, and you can learn more about the SDGs and how UNESCO is supporting and encouraging commitment to education here: https://lnkd.in/d8raCig #osaco #makeadifference #SRGBV #genderbasedviolence #seah #education #internationaldayofeducation #SDGs #sustainabledevelopmentgoals #UN #unitednations #unesco 

Every 31st of July, Africa commemorates 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚’𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲. This year, the commemorative activities will focus on the theme, “𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚.” The theme is aligned to the African Union theme it the year “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century” The 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 #MaputoProtocol 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 is articulated securing the rights of African women and girls to quality education. Member states commit to guarantee equal opportunity and access in education and training. This includes the elimination of stereotypes in textbooks, syllabuses and the media, that perpetuate discrimination. Maputo Protocol also calls for the protection of women, especially the girl-child from all forms of abuse, including sexual harassment in schools and other educational institutions and the provision of access to counselling and rehabilitation services to women who suffer abuses and sexual harassment as well as the integration of gender sensitisation and human rights education at education curricula including teacher training. The Protocol underscores the importance of promoting literacy among women, particularly in the fields of science and technology and the enrolment and retention of girls in schools and other training institutions. Download a copy of the Maputo Protocol to learn more about women’s rights- https://ow.ly/olBU50SMTws

Africa’s Women’s Day is observed annually across the continent on 31 July. On this day, we recognise and affirm the role of women’s organising in achieving the political freedom of Africa and advancing the social and economic status of women on the continent. This year’s theme, "Invest in Education: Securing the Future of Women and Girls in Africa," underscores the importance of education. Let's take a moment to: - Celebrate the progress made in advancing women’s rights to education in various countries. - Rally investments and support for enhancing infrastructure, teacher training, and foundational learning. - Foster knowledge sharing and exchange of best practices to improve education outcomes for women and girls in Africa. Together, let's strive for a future where education empowers women and girls continent-wide. #WomensDay #Africa #EducationInvestment 🇹🇿#Tanzania #HornofAfrica

[AKUMACTFOREDUCATION CAMPAIGN] Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a significant education crisis, with 98 million children out of school in 2021, making it the region with the highest number of out-of-school children globally. Alarmingly, this population continues to grow, increasing by 20 million since 2009. This education crisis, driven by poor infrastructure, lack of funding, conflict, and gender inequality, particularly affects girls, who face additional barriers like child marriage and inadequate facilities. At Akuma, we are committed to promoting literacy and quality education across Africa. With our upcoming campaign, we aim to shed light on the deep-rooted difficulties facing the continent’s education system, while advocating for change. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful way to change the world,” and we believe in creating an Africa where education is truly accessible to all. Join us in this campaign ! #akumabooks #africa #education4all #afrique #youth #SDG4 #AkumActForEducation UNESCO GEM Report UNESCO Education Above All Foundation Education 2030 UN UNICEF African Union UNFPA West and Central Africa Education Cannot Wait (ECW)