Education is priceless.

But what happens when you put a real price on education?

(I’m not talking about yearbooks and locker fees.) 

For 12-year-old Chefor Fritz in Cameroon, he spent the summer selling onions to earn money to go to secondary school. If he does not raise the money, he will not be able to go to school. Read more about the children in Cameroon in this article: “Schoolchildren in Cameroon Hawk Goods to Raise Money for New School Year”

But education does not always mean school. Education can come through vocational training programs, literacy, and various other facets.

For Siphosethu Ndlovu in Zimbabwe, she never went to school. She is disabled and has spent her life, isolated, barely getting by. When she was 10, her uncle took her to the streets and taught her to beg. Because of the social stigma that comes with disabilities, she has always had a lack of educational opportunities. But, the time she spent isolated in her home and on the streets, she has acquired a self-taught talent to sew toilet and bathroom sets using her toes.

Imagine what she could do with a little more education.

With classes in business and sewing, she could start her own professional business. Given the education, women and girls can significantly improve their quality of life.

You can read more about education in developing communities from the Global Press Institute, a social venture dedicated to educating, employing, and empowering women in the developing world through local news coverage.

How are you going to educate and empower women and girls?

Teach a nutrition class, raise awareness (this is education, right?), or provide a uniform and books for a girl in Cambodia.

Get out there. Go do it.

Join the conversation with #giveeducation.