In the United Kingdom, all children are required to be in full time education to the age of 16 and the vast majority continue in education or training to the age of 18. In developing countries however, the picture is more complex: in sub-Saharan Africa, only 30% of boys and 27% of girls of secondary school age actually go to school. Globally, including highly developed countries, only 53% of boys and 48% of girls attend secondary school (source: UNICEF).
The value of education in developing countries cannot be underestimated. Education, therefore, is the foundation of the ChildAid programme and is provided in a variety of ways, depending on local circumstances:
ChildAid partners providing education directly:
Evangelical Mission to Assist Fishermen, Brazil
- runs a kindergarten/daycare centre for very young children, up to the age of 7, when they then attend local government schools.
America Latina Ministries and Schools, Guatemala
- operate early years, primary and secondary schools in the capital city, Guatemala City and the town of Chimaltenango. Children from needy families are able to access education through America Latina's financial aid programme, funded through ChildAid sponsorship.
Bible Faith Mission, Kerala, India
- run a school for Dalits which teaches in the English language. A growing number of children are from wealthy non-Dalit families and therefore pay fees.
Grace Christian School, Siyabuswa, South Africa
- run a school and a home for orphans. The orphans make up about 10% of the school's population, the majority being fee-paying students. Children come from miles around to attend this flagship school, widely respected by the local community and national government.
Elijah House, TNT, Timbuktu, Mali
- Provides primary school education in a Christian setting, as an alternative to the strict Islamic Quran schools.
ChildAid partners supporting education indirectly - the following partners enable children to go to state schools or local Christian schools and provide 'extras' such as uniforms, out of school tuition, supplemental feeding, school equipment, children's clubs and so on, depending on local needs:
