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Apple's Tim Cook and Malala team up to fight for girls' education

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Editor's Note: Watch "We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World" on CNN International on October 11 and on CNN on October 12.

Some 62 million girls around the world are not in school, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

But you can empower these girls by helping them receive an education in a safe environment.

First lady Michelle Obama is on a mission to help young women achieve their potential through Let Girls Learn, an initiative she co-founded in 2015. The US government initiative provides access to education, especially in areas of conflict such as Afghanistan or Nigeria.

The following organizations are working to educate girls:

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How to help educate girls around the world | CNN

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Editor's Note: Watch "We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World" on CNN International on October 11 and on CNN on October 12. Some 62 million girls around the world are not in school, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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Organizations

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Education inequality is an issue all around the globe, with many countries showing a disparity in literacy rates between men and women. The 1990 World Declaration on Education for All mandates gender equality and education as essential elements of an advanced world, but insufficient action has been taken to develop education systems according to these standards. Since then, many female-run, nonprofit girls' education organizations have sprung up to create opportunities for women in developing countries.

The plight of many uneducated women in developing countries is a woeful one. Many face poverty, female genital mutilation and early marriage. Access to education opens doors for women, empowering them to provide for themselves and their families and enabling them to participate in politics and the working world. Below are four girls' education organizations working actively to improve women's lives.

1. Educate GirlsEducate Girls, an organization based in India, works with government schools to develop educational models and access in "educationally backward" areas of the country. Founded by Safeena Husain in 2007, the nonprofit seeks to grow and maintain enrollment rates among girls, partnering with organizations like UNICEF to address issues in specific school districts.The ultimate goal is to provide a quality education to 2.5 million girls, that they may acquire the skills and tools to participate in the workforce as adults.

2. She's the FirstShe's the First (STF) was founded by Tammy Tibbetts and Christen Brandt in 2009 to help girls in developing countries complete their education. Based in New York City, its team helps girls to graduate high school by helping to cover tuition and boarding costs, as well as offering individual guidance and providing essential resources like uniforms and medicine.STF selects girls to support based on financial need and academic potential. It currently hosts 881 scholars, who, along with their mentors, make up a dynamic network of strong and supportive women.

3. CamfedCamfed, short for "Campaign for Female Education," aims to reduce global poverty via education for girls. Founded by Ann Cotton in 1993, the nonprofit concentrates on rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa and provides support to individuals in need. Nearly two million students in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Ghana have attended school with Camfed's help.Staunchly apolitical, the organization partners with government ministries and other nonprofits to create resources and awareness. In the long term, Camfed hopes to spark systemic change by molding strong female leaders.

4. Forum for African Women EducationalistsThe Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a pan-African nonprofit that encourages policy changes to make learning environments more accessible to girls. Partnering with government and private organizations across the continent, FAWE works to create community awareness and ensure equal treatment between boys and girls in school.FAWE has introduced a variety of educational models since its inception, including a 2007 gender-responsive pedagogy model tailored for teacher training colleges in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Tanzania. Their central objective is to seamlessly integrate women into the social and political fabric of their countries.

While there remains room for gender equality in schools to improve, these girls' education organizations have made significant strides in creating access and increasing the quality of schooling for girls, an achievement that serves to develop the world as a whole.

- Madeline Forwerck

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4 Girls' Education Organizations That You Should Know About

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Education inequality is an issue all around the globe, with many countries showing a disparity in literacy rates between men and women. The 1990 World Declaration on Education for All mandates gender equality and education as essential elements of an advanced world, but insufficient action has been taken to develop education systems according to these standards.

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Let Girls Learn Website

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Let Girls Learn | U.S. Agency for International Development

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Right now, 62 million girls around the world are not in school. Millions more are fighting to stay there. Let Girls Learn is a new effort by the United States Government to raise awareness about the importance of allowing all girls to pursue a quality education.

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Every Girl Deserves Education - video

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6 Barriers to Girls Education

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Girls education - Plan International Canada

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The "Because I am a Girl" campaign from Plan Canada promotes girls education around the world. Get involved & donate, sponsor a girl, buy a Gift of Hope or join us on social media.

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Why Girls are Denied Education

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Girls are still less likely to attend school than boys - and many of the obstacles behind this gender gap are examined in a United Nations report.

When the new century began 17 years ago, there was a major push to get girls around the world into education.

There have been some notable successes. Between 2000 and 2015, the gender gap in literacy narrowed dramatically and the number of girls going to primary school rose significantly.

But it hasn't been enough. In more than half of all countries, there's still a large gender gap when it comes to attendance at lower secondary school.

"Despite universal recognition of the right to education for everyone, girls are still more likely than boys never to attend school," says a stark line from a United Nations report on girls' education.

"It is estimated that 15 million girls - mainly those living in poverty - will never set foot in a classroom, compared to 10 million boys."

The gap is even wider in conflict zones, where girls are nearly two and a half times more likely to be out of school than boys.

The report, produced this month by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is titled "Realisation of the equal enjoyment of the right to education by every girl".

It highlights the obstacles to girls getting a quality education and puts forward a series of recommendations to remedy the issues. Here are some extracts that give a flavour of the report.

The obstacles to girls getting education
GENDER STEREOTYPES
"Gender stereotypes about the role of women as relegated to the family sphere underpin all obstacles to girls' equal access to quality education. Girls are often socialised to assume domestic and care responsibilities, with the assumption that they will be economically dependent on men. The stereotype of men as breadwinners leads to the prioritisation of boys' education."
LEGISLATION, POLICIES AND BUDGETS
"Several states have laws and policies that curtail girls' equal enjoyment of the right to education. Even apparently gender-neutral laws and policies can - often owing to prevailing social norms - result in girls being left out of school... These include laws and policies that allow child marriage, permit discriminatory school admission criteria, such as excluding pregnant girls, and restrict girls' freedom of movement."
COSTS
"Girls are more likely to perform poorly at school and drop out when parents or guardians live in poverty and/or cannot afford to pay school expenses, such as school fees, textbooks, uniforms, transportation and lunches. This is compounded by gendered expectations related to domestic and care responsibilities, and parental biases towards boys' education for them to have better career prospects."
DISTANCE
"When schools are far from homes, such as in rural and remote areas, the likelihood of girls' non-attendance increases. Girls are also particularly affected when their freedom of movement is restricted... Girls in remote and rural settings also tend to drop out of school more regularly than other girls owing to often exacerbated expectations relating to childcare, seasonal work or fetching firewood and water."
EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE
"Girls may be unwilling to attend school or discouraged from doing so by parents or guardians when schools do not provide water, safe and separate toilets/changing rooms nor take into account girls' particular health needs. Their concentration and participation in class may also be negatively affected in those circumstances."

"Prohibitive laws or regulations often deny pregnant girls access to school on the premise that girls stop being children once they become pregnant. They are also often not provided with adequate support and services during their pregnancy nor after they give birth."
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
"Girls are often subjected to gender-based violence on the way to/from and in school, including sexual harassment, assault, abduction, psychological attacks and bullying, perpetrated predominantly by male students, teachers and community members, but also by women and girls, often with impunity. Such violence may target girls who attend school or girls, parents and teachers who promote gender equality and girls' right to education. "
CONFLICT AND SITUATIONS OF INSTABILITY
"Girls' education is compromised when schools are targeted, looted and/or destroyed, closed owing to insecurity or occupied for military purposes or as shelters. Grave rights violations following the 'normalisation of gender-based violence' deter and prevent girls from attending school and may include targeted attacks, forced exclusion, forcible recruitment, abduction, sexual slavery, harassment and threats against girls by armed groups and criminal gangs."

Recommendations to give girls equal access to education

The report makes 18 recommendations to achieve gender equality. It says countries and all stakeholders should ensure that:

All forms of discrimination, laws, policies and practices that directly or indirectly block girls' access to education are eradicated

Adequate funding and budgets are given for girls' education

Every girl is aware of her right to education

Girls' education and an end to gender stereotypes are promoted

School curriculums, textbooks and teaching methods are reviewed and revised

Girls enjoy the same quality of education as boys

Teachers are qualified and adequately trained including on gender equality

Girls get access to safe drinking water, separate toilets and resources for menstrual hygiene - with attention to disabled girls

Education is safe and physically accessible, including for girls in rural and remote areas (and including safe transportation)

Pregnant girls can continue in school - and have access to childcare, breastfeeding facilities and counselling on school premises

Violence against girls is eliminated

Girls and schools are protected from attacks on girls' education including use of schools for military or shelter purposes

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Why girls around the world are still denied an equal chance of education

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Girls are still less likely to attend school than boys - and many of the obstacles behind this gender gap are examined in a United Nations report. When the new century began 17 years ago, there was a major push to get girls around the world into education.

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UNICEF - Education in Emergencies

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UNICEF | Children's Rights & Emergency Relief Organization

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Education in emergencies

Wars, conflicts and natural disasters spare no children. In fact, children suffer the most. In countries affected by emergencies, children often lose their homes, family members, friends, safety and routine.

Without access to education, they are at risk of losing their futures.

Over the past half century, the world has seen a rising number of crises stemming from conflict, natural disasters and epidemics. Worse, many crises are prolonged, spanning entire childhoods and persisting for generations. When they disrupt schooling, it not only undermines children's present well-being, but also puts their futures - and those of their societies - in jeopardy.

The numbers on education in emergencies:

* 1 in 4 of world's out-of-school children live in crises-affected countries

* In 35 crisis-affected countries, humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises disrupted the education of 75 million children between the ages of 3 and 18.

* Over 17 million school-aged children in those countries are refugees, displaced within or outside their countries, and of these, only half attend primary school, while less than a quarter are in secondary school.

* For children who attend school during emergencies, the quality of education can be low, with an average of 70 pupils per teacher, who are often unqualified.

* Girls in conflict-affected settings are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys

Education is a lifeline for children in crisis UNICEF's work in emergencies

For children in emergencies, education is lifesaving. Schools give children stability and structure to help cope with the trauma they have experienced. Schools can protect children from the physical dangers around them, including abuse, exploitation and recruitment into armed groups. In many cases, schools also provide children with other lifesaving interventions, such as food, water, sanitation and health.

Parents and children affected by crisis consistently name education as one of their top priorities. Because when children get an education, despite circumstances, whole societies benefit: education can boost economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality. Education also contributes to restoring peace and stability.

Despite the enormous benefits to children, education is often the first service suspended and the last service restored in crisis-affected communities.

Education accounts for less than 2 per cent of total humanitarian aid.

Funding is not the only thing that falls short: There are not enough trained staff to meet children's educational needs in emergencies, not enough data to get an accurate picture of the situation, and not enough coordination among all the actors involved in humanitarian response.

UNICEF works to deliver uninterrupted learning for every child affected by humanitarian crises.

We work to provide learning spaces that are safe, available, suitable for children and equipped with water and sanitation facilities. We work to make sure that while in school, children can learn, despite their circumstances. We provide teachers with training and learning materials. We help children develop skills to deal with disaster as well as reduce risk exposure. We work with teachers, parents and the community to assure that children get the care and love they need in these circumstances. We work with governments to include disaster risk reduction programmes in their planning.

UNICEF strongly advocates for the right to education and protecting education.

We call for protective learning environments and support governments as they endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration and Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.

We carry out much of our work through global and national partnerships. Read about UNICEF's partnership with the Education Cannot Wait.

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Wars, conflicts and natural disasters spare no children. In fact, children suffer the most. In countries affected by emergencies, children often lose their homes, family members, friends, safety and routine. Without access to education, they are at risk of losing their futures.

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Michelle Obama - Education for Girls

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Girls Count - Video

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#GirlsCount - Every Girl Has The Right To An Education

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Join the count to 130 million: http://bit.ly/2wzuJsT 130 million girls don't have access to education. So we're partnering with YouTube to ask the world to count them, one by one. To show we stand with every girl who is out of school. And to urge our leaders to act.

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Girls Education - Fact Sheet

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Malala Fund

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Inspired and led by Malala's example, the Malala Fund works to secure girls' right to a minimum of 12 years of quality education, particularly in the global south.

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Right to Education - Website

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Today more girls than ever go to school. However, despite progress, women and girls continue to face multiple barriers based on gender and its intersections with other factors, such as age, ethnicity, poverty, and disability, in the equal enjoyment of the right to quality education. This includes barriers, at all levels, to access quality education and within education systems, institutions, and classrooms, such as, amongst others:

The international community has recognised the equal right to quality education of everyone and committed to achieving gender equality in all fields, including education, through their acceptance of international human rights law. This means that states have legal obligations to remove all discriminatory barriers, whether they exist in law or in everyday life, and to undertake positive measures to bring about equality, including in access of, within, and through education.

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Today more girls than ever go to school. However, despite progress, women and girls continue to face multiple barriers based on gender and its intersections with other factors, such as age, ethnicity, poverty, and disability, in the equal enjoyment of the right to quality education.

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Malala Yousafzai UN Speech: Girl Shot in Attack by Taliban Gives Address | The New York Times

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Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani student who was shot in the head by the Taliban after speaking out for education rights for girls, spoke to the U.N. Youth Assembly on her 16th birthday on Friday. Read the story here: http://nyti.ms/12spbOa Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n Watch more videos at: http://nytimes.com/video --------------------------------------------------------------- Want more from The New York Times?