Educating a girl transforms futures - hers and everyone’s around her.
Right now, over 120 million girls are out of school. Not because they don’t want to learn, but because they’re held back by poverty, harmful gender norms, early marriage, or simply not having the basics like a uniform or safe transport. While access to education is improving globally, girls still face greater challenges finishing secondary school or learning in crisis-affected regions.
More than 132 million girls are denied the chance to learn. Together, we can change that.
All over the world, girls are being held back by challenges they didn’t choose. These barriers aren’t just unfair. They’re solvable. Here’s what’s standing in the way, and what we’re doing about it:
When families can’t afford school fees, uniforms, or transport, girls are often the first to miss out.
→ At One Girl, we provide everything from books to lunch money so cost never keeps a girl from the classroom.
Being forced to marry before 18 means education stops and choice disappears.
→ We equip girls with life skills and confidence to make their own decisions and help shift harmful social norms through community-led conversations.
Stereotypes in textbooks and teaching can make girls feel invisible or less capable.
→ We support inclusive, gender-sensitive learning where girls are seen, heard, and valued.
Without relatable role models, girls feel less safe and less supported.
→ We advocate for more women in leadership and connect girls to mentors they trust.
Harassment, bullying and unsafe journeys make school a dangerous place for many girls.
→ We work with communities to ensure every learning space is safe and welcoming.
Girls who fall pregnant are often pushed out of school instead of supported to return.
→ We fight for inclusive policies so all girls, no matter their circumstance, can keep learning.
Long distances and unsafe routes can make attending school impossible.
→ We provide practical tools like bikes, solar lights and local partnerships to get girls to school safely.
Outdated beliefs about what girls should do, like staying home or helping in the household, keep many out of the classroom.
→ We create spaces where girls build confidence and challenge those norms one voice at a time.
Girls are more likely to leave school due to family, social, or financial pressures.
→ Our field officers provide ongoing support and mentorship, ensuring every girl has someone in her corner.
When girls stay in school, everything changes
Uniforms, textbooks, sanitary pads, solar lights, and lunch money. Girls can attend school with dignity and confidence.
Monthly sessions give girls space to speak up, build self-worth, and learn about health, leadership, and financial literacy.
Our field officers stay by each girl’s side, offering care, mentorship and encouragement through every step of her journey.
Through education and conversation, we work with schools and communities to dismantle the attitudes that hold girls back.
Because education isn’t just about what happens in the classroom. It’s about power, agency and the chance to rewrite your future. Learn more about Our Work.
Education Changes Everything.
We mean it. When you educate a girl, everything changes. It’s called the ripple effect.
- With every year of schooling, a girl’s income will increase by 20%.
- A child born to a literate mother is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.
- For girls in sub-Saharan Africa, finishing primary school means she will be 10% less likely to fall pregnant as an adolescent.
- Educated women invest 90% of their income back into their families.
- 37-41% reduction in global emissions by improving access to quality education, SRHR and modern contraceptives for girls.
When a girl is educated, her health, status, income and entire future changes for the better, and she will be more likely to educate her own family.
She will have opportunity, choice and agency; and she will have the confidence and knowledge to make informed decisions about herself, her future and her family. And her community will benefit too!
Plus, educating girls is the number one way to fight climate change, and create a fair and sustainable planet for all.
At One Girl, we leverage the power of education to create
positive change for girls and young women in Sierra Leone and Uganda.
