You can help women change their lives forever, with Tearfund
Too many women are denied an education
For families like Valerie’s in the Central African Republic, life is a daily struggle for survival.
Here, three in four women can’t read or write. They’re denied an education. Denied jobs. Denied the one thing every mother wants most of all: the chance to create a better future for her children.
This Christmas, you could help give the gift of literacy that lasts lifetimes.
When a woman does not have access to education… it is the root of poverty.
Romaric, Tearfund staff in Central African Republic
Poverty robs children of their future
Every mother wants to create a good life for her children. But what if you had to choose between feeding your child or sending them to school?
This is the painful reality for too many women around the world. Like Valerie, a mother of two in the Central African Republic, who had to leave school aged just ten. Now, her sons are also being denied the chance to learn to read and write.
When Valerie was widowed suddenly, what worried her most was being unable to meet her children’s needs. ‘How will I pay for their school fees?,’ she asked. ‘Will they get a good education? Will they find good jobs?… I pray that God protects me and my children.’
Photo Credit: Elijah Muweza/Tearfund
The gift of literacy lasts lifetimes
Everything changed when Valerie joined a local women’s group, set up after training by Tearfund. Through this group, she took literacy classes where she learnt to read and write, as well as practical skills to help her earn a living.
‘Being part of this group allows me to work together with my fellow women,’ says Valerie. ‘My family will do well thanks to the advice, training and skills I’ve gained.’
When a mother like Valerie is able to learn to read and write, her children are more likely to get an education too. You can help give the gift of education to mothers like Valerie, so they can create a better future for their children, and their children’s children.
Will you help a mother learn to read and write so she can earn a living and provide for her children?
Your gift could change lives forever
Julia is a 23-year-old mother in Valerie’s community, who also attended a literacy programme set up through Tearfund.
‘When I learned about the literacy centre, I was very happy that I could learn alongside other girls and women,’ says Julia. ‘As women, without education, it’s very hard to achieve as much as we need to.’
Through her classes, Julia has learnt to make clothes and is selling them to make a small income. But, for Julia and so many women facing poverty, she is still anxious about how to provide for her child. ‘My main concern is how I’m going to send him to school and if I’ll afford the school fees,’ she says.
With your support, more women around the world can learn to read and write through Tearfund’s programmes, and create a better future for their children.