Stones into Schools

(Emily's voice)

I just finished reading the incredible and inspirational book "Stones into Schools" written by Greg Mortenson (author of "Three Cups of Tea") given to me at Christmas this year. The book is his story about building schools in the most remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the goal of educating women. The book is written beautifully and is full of absolutely incredible stories about the hardships the people of these areas live with, as well as the struggles it took to bring literacy to them. I highly recommend this read!

There are huge benefits to educating women, especially in the most removed, impoverished and war-torn nations of this world. Here is an excerpt from Greg's book about the returns of girls' education:

Income Growth:

Girls' education leads to increased income for the girls themselves and for nations as a whole. Increasing the share of women with a secondary education by 1% boosts annual per-capita income growth by 0.3%. That's significant, since per-capita income gains in developing countries seldom exceed 3% a year.

Educating girls also boosts farming productivity. Educated farmers are more efficient and their farms are more productive, which leads to increased crop yields and declines in malnutrition.

(Information from The World Bank and The Council on Foreign Relations)

Maternal and Children's Health

Educated women have smaller, healthier and better-educated families.

The better educated the women in a society, the lower the fertility rate. A 2000 study in Brazil found that literate women had an average of 2.5 children, while illiterate women had an average of 6 children.

The better educated the women, the lower the infant mortality rate. "The mother's education is often the single most important influence on children's survival...Educated mothers learn how to keep their children healthy and how to use health services, improve nutrition and sanitation, and take advantage of their own increased earning capability. Girls who stay in school also marry later, when they are better able to bear and care for children."

(Information from UNESCO, The Council on Foreign Relations)

Women's Empowerment:

Educated girls and women are more likely to stand up for themselves and resist violence. "In poor areas where women are isolated within their communities, have little education and cannot earn much, girls are often regarded as an economic burden and women and girls sometimes suffer deliberate neglect or outright harm."

(Information from The Council on Foreign Relations)


If you are looking for a great read and want to feel that there are some positive changes happening in the world, then look no further! Go get yourself a copy of "Stones into Schools" or just call me and I will lend you mine!

Also, check out Greg Mortenson's website for his organization "the Central Asia Institute." https://www.ikat.org/