Bushkin.

This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is Solvable. I'm Jacob Weisper.

The reason why girls are not in school.

Poverty is the culprit. Poverty is the culprit, you know.

Poverty continues to force cruel solutions on parents.

And I think that needs to be understood.

Poverty can take many forms.

It can mean that families can't afford school fees or basic supplies like pens, pencils, and stationary.

Or families may just need the children to help with work and child care at home.

Whatever the reasons, it's estimated that there are currently more than 50 million girls

who've left school before receiving their high school diplomas.

Those who do manage to complete their schooling usually have more support from their families and communities.

And I remember feeling very guilt and very torn that I had gotten the chance that they also needed.

But, you know, I think some people call it survivor guilt.

But it's just that's the heartbreaking part of it.

When Angeline Muramirwa was a young girl in rural Zimbabwe,

she was nominated by her community to receive additional support for her education.

That support proved essential for her success.

She now helps to run the nonprofit that helped her, the campaign for female education. It works to keep girls in school across the African continent.

Universal quality education is a human right and one of the UN's sustainable development goals.

It's understood to be a basic requirement for any country that hopes to flourish.

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