How does education help?

At Shika, we believe that education is one of the most effective ways of tackling poverty in Africa.  It enables people to help themselves, their families and their communities.  Young people in Africa want to learn, but many do not get access, or the support needed, to receive a primary education.

“There is widespread research to suggest that education lifts people out of poverty”

Centre for African Economics, 2009.

How does education transform lives?

1) Education represents the only way out of a life of poverty for many children across Africa.   Millions of young people across Africa survive on less than EUR 1 a day. Even a basic education is the start to getting a better paid job when they grow up.

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Children educated to secondary level and beyond benefits whole families

2) Education is playing an increasingly important role helping children protect themselves against the diseases that can devastate poor communities. Basic information on day-to-day hygiene and prevention saves lives and keeps families together.

3) Education builds confidence, cohesiveness and community. Educated children are less likely to become victims of violence and abuse. They are more likely to invest in improving their community when they are adults. The effects of even basic education quickly multiply, as children who have benefited from schooling themselves strive to secure even better opportunities for their own families and share their knowledge with other non educated members of their families and community.

Seeing how education does transform lives in Africa, Shika’s educational support programmes focus on enabling the poorest and most vulnerable children to attend and graduate from primary school with a decent level of education.  See how we do it