Girl-child education: an innovative approach to addressing Climate Change

Since the Beijing Declaration, which signalled the United Nation’s recognition of girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world, advocacies for girl-child education have continued to make headlines, a cause that gains more global traction over the years. Educating girls is a fundamental human right and a key driver of sustainable development. It has far-reaching impacts on every society, giving credence to equity, diversity, and inclusion and in extension, addressing climate change.

In a 2022 report by the United Nations Education, Science & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), about 16.7 million girls in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to be out of school, 9.3 million of whom will remain uneducated. In Nigeria also, there are 10 million of such children, of which six million are girls and this has a strong impact on health, economic growth, labour productivity, and climate change in the nation.

Investing in the education of girls and young women has proven to be one of the most effective ways to combat climate change and promote sustainable development. However, in recent years, the link between girl child education and addressing global climate change has become increasingly clear. A Project Drawdown Research led by activist and entrepreneur Paul Hawken which started in 2013, has shown that educating girls can lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in climate-resilient practices. According to the research which has since brought together 65 researchers across the globe submits that educated girls are more likely to have smaller, healthier families, which in turn leads to a reduction in population growth and a decrease in carbon emissions. Additionally, educated girls are more likely to be involved in decision-making and to advocate for sustainable development practices in their communities, and educating girls is the sixth most impactful solution out of 100 ways to combat the effects of global warming.

Project Drawdown is the world’s leading research for climate solutions, with the mission to help the world reach ‘drawdown’, a point where levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline, thereby halting catastrophic climate change – as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. Leveraging the result of research, girl child education must be considered important while tackling the challenges of global warming and addressing other challenges affecting socio-economic growth. Empowering girls presents them with the necessary skills and information needed to improve their capabilities and thus serve as a catalyst for sustainable development that complements the UNSDG goals of education, gender equality, and climate action.

In line with this, Evolve, the CSR arm of Adipro International Corporation, executed by Pacegate Limited & PEARL in Nigeria has been taking the lead to empower the girl child while contributing to climate change reversal. Evolve has a clear mandate using three approaches adapted from the Heartfulness Institute, Hyderabad which include: S-Connect, C-Connect, and the U-Connect. The S-connect is the School connect program that involves supporting secondary school girls with school supplies and the INSPIRE program for educating the teachers on Value-Based Education. The C-connect is the Corporate connect program which is in partnership with the Adizes Institute offering training programs to corporate organizations while the U-Connect is the university connect program, which focuses on improving the soft skills of university students.

Through the S-Connect approach, the Evolve initiative reaches out to educational institutions, mostly secondary schools, across the country as an expression of the organization’s commitment to supporting underprivileged girls with school supplies and heartfulness relaxation to aid their development and promote value-based education in society. The program, which was launched in 2020, has empowered over 10,000 female students in 32 schools across 9 states in Nigeria, providing them with school supplies such as school uniforms, bags, sandals, notebooks, & pens.

With the vision to champion improvement in girl child education and advocate eco-friendly causes, Evolve has made high-level interventions in girl child education and their educators through the support of some strategic partners such as Polaris Bank, OVH Energy Marketing, now NNPC Retail, BIC, and Crownstar. Through these partners, the initiative has thrived and remained impactful. Polaris Bank and OVH Energy Marketing, now NNPC Retail, adopted some schools and have supported the empowerment of students in such schools, while BIC and Crownstar supported the initiative with school pens and notebooks, respectively. These supplies have empowered the students with access to more educational opportunities and boosted their self-esteem.

To further strengthen the investment in girl child education, as a way of addressing global climate conditions, Evolve launched the INSPIRE program to specifically impact teachers. INSPIRE is a value-based education enrichment program that assists educators to develop a heart-centred approach to teaching. The focus is to enable teachers to take a holistic approach towards students’ growth using 21st-century styles of learning such as the Heartfulness Way.

“The Evolve CSR program aims to ensure girl child education and empowerment to help curb global warming and make an impact in the community,” said the Managing Director, of Pacegate Limited, Mr Umesh Amarnani. “At Pacegate, we are committed to building a more sustainable and responsible environment where every girlchild feels valued, and empowered, and can contribute to society at large. We strongly believe that through the schools’ supplies provided, the Value-based education being taught to school teachers, and support received from our sponsors, the girl child will have access to a higher level of opportunities and impact the global ecosystem.”

Evolve has been a game changer in addressing global climate change by investing in the education of girls. This will not only help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate-resilient practices but will also promote gender equality and break the cycle of poverty. It is crucial that individuals and organisations continue to prioritize and invest in the education of girls, not only for their own benefit but also for the benefit of the planet and future generations.