WHY IT MATTERS
Every Child has the Right to an Education.
Imagine not being able to read. Imagine risking your life to learn. Imagine working in the fields all day and never being paid. Imagine not having a birth certificate or any acknowledgment that you exist.
Of 900 Million Illiterate People in the world, 2/3 are women.
Girls account for only 30% of children being educated in the world.
Of Women in rural communities, more than 65% work the land with no pay.
For impoverished children and adults, especially females, living in Central and Southeast Asia this is a reality. Empower Education wants to stop the cycle of poverty, empower the next generation of leaders, and teach students how to be a positive influence in their communities.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela
HOW IT STARTED
We Are Education Advocates
A Dream Was Born
We are Todd and Julie Powers. Since 1985, we have participated in leadership development, humanitarian aid, and child and adult education around the world. We traveled to Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Guatemala, Kenya, Ukraine and Turkey and many more countries. What we experienced opened our eyes.
Imagine: Over 124 million children worldwide enduring their childhood and adolescent years without going to school, and not having access to a quality education. Based on statistics, they’re at risk of falling prey to human trafficking, exploitation, slavery, and abuse. They have little to no chance of having a normal life or a hopeful future.
We simply could not look the other way. During this time, a dream was born.
WHO ARE WE
Our Mission
Empower education is making quality education more accessible to children in Central and Southeast Asia by:
-Empowering each child to break the cycle of poverty.
-Empowering students to be a positive influence in their communities.
-Empowering next generation leaders.
This is why we exist. This is our purpose. We are education advocates.
We believe ALL children should have access to a quality education rooted in basic human rights, gender equality, and excellent moral values. This creates a ripple effect of opportunity that positively influences generations to come.
Time for Action
Stop It Before It Begins.
Impoverished people fall prey to exploitation such as human trafficking, slavery, or becoming a child bride.
According to UNESCO, an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty if students in low-income nations acquired basic reading skills (and nothing more). If all adults completed secondary education, the global poverty rate would be cut by more than half.
Empower Education helps transform lives and provides more opportunities for success.
Why is Education Important?
- Lower maternal and infant mortality rates.
- Lower stunting rates caused by malnutrition.
- Improve health and reduce vulnerability to diseases.
- Reduce violence at home and in the community.
- Help prevent human trafficking and exploitation.
- Promote lifelong learning and build skills.
- Build self-esteem and overall quality of life.
Why Do Students Need Empower Education?
- Lack of government funding.
- Lack of trained teachers.
- Lack of classrooms.
- Lack of learning materials.
- Having a disability.
- Being female.
- Living in a country in conflict, or at risk of conflict.
- Long distances between home and school.
Become an Education Advocate
Everyone has the Right to Education - but not the Opportunity
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted in 1948, states in Article 26: 'Everyone has the right to education'. This has been reaffirmed in various international treaties including:
o UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960)
o International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)
o International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
o Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)
o Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
Don't let these children be forgotten.
