Mission
Our mission at Do the Kindness is to provide housing where secondary schools are available to girls who live in rural areas. In these remote villages, schools are limited to grade K-4 or non-existent. We promise to fully support, encourage and love them while they are in our care.
Girls in Laos
Schooling for girls is not prioritized in Laos. Boys have the opportunity to receive an exceptional secondary education when they join the temple as a novice monk. This is not available for girls.
There are many barriers that prevent girls from getting an education including school fees, the price of school supplies and mandatory uniforms, or long distances between home and school. Approximately 80% of the Laos population lives on less than $5.50 a day. In the rural areas where 87% of Laos people live, there is poor infrastructure and educational systems. Most villages have only one primary school provided by the government or no school at all thus educating girls does not become a priority. Right now, attending school in the the urban areas becomes the only opportunity for an education.
The Facts
60%
–
OVER 60% OF GIRLS FROM ETHNIC COMMUNITIES
IN LAOS DO NOT ATTEND SCHOOL.
5yrs
–
THE PRIMARY EDUCATION
CYCLE IN LAOS
IS 5 YEARS.
37%
–
37% OF WOMEN IN LAOS (AGE 15+) ARE ILLITERATE.
50%
–
50% OF GIRLS WITH NO EDUCATION WERE MARRIED BEFORE THE AGE OF 18.
What Educating Girls Can Do
Each extra year of education increases eventual wages by 20%. Helping to reduce poverty.
Girls with a higher than 7th grade education marry an average of 4 years later, reducing the number of child marriages.
A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.
An educated girl will earn more money, reinvest 80-90% of her wages back into her family/community and help break the cycle of poverty.