If
you are planning for a day, catch a fish.

If
you are planning for a year, plant rice.

If
you are planning for a decade, plant trees.

If
you are planning for a lifetime, educate a woman. 

Soroptimist
International, a global voice for women and girls from a wide socio-economic
spectrum, presents a challenge for
us on this International Women’s Day – Can we, as advocates and activists for women
and girls, take the courageous and controversial steps to achieve true,
meaningful, and sustainable gender equality?  Can we look beyond numbers and dig into the
underlying economic, social, and cultural determinants of women and girls’
ability to achieve their fullest potential? 

Learning and
leadership for girls and women at all ages is the foundation for development,
economic growth, and poverty reduction. 
Despite clear benefits, we live in a world where many women lack basic
skills in reading and writing, in both the Global North and South.  While exclusion from education is not
the only form of gender inequality, it is closely linked to all others.  Without access to education, disadvantages
faced by all women in a gender-based world increase.  An unschooled woman is even more likely to
live in poverty, become infected with HIV/AIDS, and die in childbirth than a
schooled woman.  An unschooled woman’s
children are more than twice as likely to die or be malnourished than children
of mothers who have secondary or higher education.  Women without access to education are left without
options: without opportunities for equitable employment, political
participation, financial independence, and informed family planning.  As a result, these women are far more likely
to be trapped in lives defined by poverty and exploitation, and are
significantly less likely to raise educated, healthy children.  By contrast, access to education results in
the reduction of infant, child and maternal mortality and increased social and
economic participation.  According to
UNESCO (United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization),
“girls’ education remains the best investment for reducing poverty, improving
health and ensuring social well-being.”

Education is thus essential not only
for the development of the individual women, but also for the survival of
future generations and of the global community. 
Universal education must not be seen merely as a benefit, but rather as
an absolute necessity. 

Soroptimists have
long supported programs that benefit women and girls – not only in their own
local communities but throughout the world. 
More than 90,000 Soroptimists in 124 countries contribute time and
financial support to community-based and international projects benefiting
women and girls.  Soroptimist
International works to ensure that women and girls have access to skills and
confidence throughout their lifetime to enable improved outcomes and
achievements in education and employment. 
Across the globe, there are hundreds of successful local, national, and
international Soroptimist projects working to educate and empower girls and
women. 

And to celebrate the 100th
International Women’s Day, we will be Tweeting 100 things SI has recently
done to transform the lives of women and girls through improving access to
education – http://twitter.com/SoroptiTweet