Why Education Matters

At AIDE we recognize the importance of Education and view it as a basic human right and a significant factor in the development of children, communities, and countries. Its myriad impacts are highlighted below:

1. Increased economic and community development: Education is the single-most important driver of economic empowerment for individuals and countries.
2. Improved social, cognitive and health outcomes: Stimulation in the critical first six years has the longest-lasting effects on children’s health and the fulfillment of human potential. Education increases people’s confidence, enabling them to become self-sufficient, fully contributing members of their communities.
3. Gender equity – For girls and women, the economic and personal empowerment that education provides allows them to make healthier choices for themselves and their families. Girls and women who achieve higher levels of education are greater contributors to overall economic development and to children’s welfare within communities. Achieving educational equity for girls – including educating communities on the value of girls’ education – is an essential factor in sustainable poverty alleviation.
4. Food security benefits – Educated parents are able to earn an income, produce more food through agricultural initiatives, and feed their children. Children who complete primary education are more likely to achieve food security as adults and end the cycle of poverty in their generation.
5. Education also provides avenues towards food security.
6. Education Provides a Foundation for Peace Building. Education is a critical building block for the development of an inclusive, democratic society and must be a central component of efforts to promote global security.
7. Education Contributes to the Fight against HIV/AIDS.
8. Educated people are healthier people. HIV/AIDS infection rates are halved among young people who finish primary school. If every girl and boy received a complete primary education, at least 7 million new cases of HIV could be prevented in a decade.