November 09, 2009
Strategize on Mobilizing Action for the Global Fund for Education
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November–December: Fall Fundraising Campaign. Goal: to raise $50,000 November 9 and 16: New Activist Orientation sessions. To join, contact Lisa Marchal. November 14: Global National Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. Call in at (888) 409-6709. Focus: Global Fund for Education. November 17: Yunus Bill strategizing call with the grassroots partners and staff. 9:00–10:00 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 887871. December 1: World AIDS Day December 10: Global Campaign for Education Day of Action. December 12: Joint Domestic-Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. Call in at (888) 409-6709. For details, visit our events calendar.
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For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools there. For roughly the same cost as stationing 40,000 troops in Afghanistan for one year, we could educate the great majority of the 75 million children worldwide who, according to UNICEF, are not getting even a primary education. Such a vast global education campaign would reduce poverty, cut birth rates, improve America’s image in the world, promote stability and chip away at extremism.
Education isn’t a panacea, and no policy in Afghanistan is a sure bet. But all in all, the evidence suggests that education can help foster a virtuous cycle that promotes stability and moderation. So instead of sending 40,000 troops more to Afghanistan, how about opening 40,000 schools?
— Nicholas Kristoff, “More Schools, Not Troops,” New York Times, 28 October 2009.
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