FADA, through the coordination of Deepalaya and the Robert Duvall Children's Fund, is committed to mobilizing fathers to promote equality and the right to educatio for girls in India. Join us in helping girls enroll in school, rather than fetching water all day or getting abused and trafficked, with the help of their fathers.
Girls account for more than one half of the approximately 75 million children out of school. Their fathers are for the most part the sole decision-makers about whether girls go to school or not, in countries like India, Afghanistan, Benin, Guatemala and Yemen.
As we move to help girls internationally we are also connecting fathers to their daughters right here in America, where there are 24 million kids living without their fathers, that is 1 in 3 of our children. We are accomplishing this via our Internet radio program broadcast from the WPRZ studios (we have interviewed some fathers and daughters and they loved it!) and also through father and daughter events (dessert and classy music, plus a short video/film and games, pure fun!). Check our website for announcements on upcoming events! As those American fathers and daughters connect, they will be encouraged as a team to support father-daughter connections in other countries and bring girls to school in India and other countries.
Of the 774 million illiterate adults worldwide, 64% of them are women. For example, for every 100 boys out of school in Yemen there are 270 girls, in Iraq 316 girls, in India 426 girls, and in Benin 257 girls (UNESCO, 2007).
The question FADA asks these fathers is: If you had all the money, opportunity, and no restrictions to send your daughter to school, would you do it? Very few actually say no. Most, having the opportunity to make a free choice even if only in their own mind, say yes. Once that important decision has been made in their minds FADA helps them make it a reality.
So, rather than trying to change centuries-old cultures, religions and traditions, we work on changing the attitude of every father toward their daughter. And attitude can, and often times does, change in one moment.
Evidence shows that a single year of primary education correlates with a 10 to 20 percent increase in women's wages later in life. When women are educated health costs go down, education for the whole family goes up, countries’ GDP increases and the whole community benefits exponentially.
Frequently heard reasons for not bringing the girls to school are:
Take care of sick relatives or younger siblings
Fetch water from places miles away
Cook, or work for their families
Lack of appropriate sanitary/bathroom facilities
Sexual harassment
Adverse cultural practices
These reasons are real but not insurmountable. In fact, it takes $35 a month to get someone else to take care of sick relatives, or small children, or to cook and work for the families, thus freeing the girls to enroll in school.
For $3,500 a well can be built in the community so hundreds of girls don’t have to do the all-day trip to fetch water. A bathroom for the entire school can be built for $2,000, so girls can have appropriate sanitary facilities at school.
Regarding sexual harassment, seminars and awareness sessions can be held for $200 at many of the schools, and bring fairness and respect for all. And adverse cultural practices can be changed, as fathers change their attitude toward their daughters.
Father and Daugher Alliance45 Main Street, Unit 1Warrenton, Virginia 20186
Copyright 2009/2010 | Father & Daughter Alliance - FADA
Of the 774 million illiterate adults worldwide, 64% of them are women. For example, for every 100 boys out of school in Yemen there are 270 girls, in Iraq 316 girls, in India 426 girls, and in Benin 257 girls (UNESCO, 2007).
