I’ve written thousands of prescriptions over my 40 years as a physician, but until now I’d never written a prescription saying “Attend School” or “Stay in School”. This prescription may save or improve more lives than all the prescriptions I’ve written for drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
So, what does keeping girls in school have to do with their health or the health of their families? More than you might think!
“Educating girls is the single most effective strategy to ensure well-being and health of children and the long-term success of developing economies”. This powerful statement was written by the Global Fund for Women, the World Bank, and the Clinton Global Initiative.
Here are some facts:
✓For each additional year of school the age at which a girl/woman has her 1st child is delayed 6-10 months.
✓It has been estimated that an additional year of schooling for each 1,000 women helps prevent 2 maternal deaths.
✓The risk of maternal morbidity is highest in adolescent girls under 15 years of age.
✓Complications of childbirth are the leading cause of death among adolescent girls in developing countries.
✓Some studies have shown that the infant mortality rate of babies whose mothers received a primary education is ½ that of children whose mothers are illiterate. The illiteracy rate for young Senegalese women ages 15-24 is 43.8% in 2012. That translates to many preventable infant deaths!
Marny Eulberg, M.D.
Member, Board of Directors
Friends of Gueoul