A former US First Lady once said, "Education can help children see beyond a world of hate and hopelessness to one of unlimited opportunity. Education helps free the mind from ignorance and bigotry. Education unleashes the creative contributions of every citizen, to improve their own lives and to build the common good. Education benefits all, and education should be available to all. People who can read a magazine or a newspaper or a textbook can gain the knowledge and skills to help shape their countries, and their own lives."

 

But in much of the Middle East, education is a luxury, unavailable to many. Millions of Middle Eastern children struggle to acquire a good education. Due to the huge number of young people, especially in rural areas, serious obstacles hinder universal basic education. Moreover, curricula do not strongly rely on cognitive problem-solving skills. They are rather encouraged to memorize answers in order to pass exams. They become passive rather than active learners, then graduate into a job-market that values creativity and problem-solving.

 

Girls are often prevented from attending school by custom, lack of resources, oppression, or an insecure school environment. More girls are attending primary schools now; yet girls and women form substantial majorities in illiteracy and non-enrollment rates. Also, uneducated women are twice as likely to have non-enrolled children; so not training this generation of girls will severely impact boys and girls of the next generation. Furthermore, perceptions of what is masculine and what is feminine take hold during childhood. Women account for 95% to 100% of pre-primary teaching staff in almost all Arab states. So more men should work in these programs, too.

 

Poverty, costs/fees, and children’s healthcare all hamper Middle Eastern education efforts as well. For example, in the majority of Arab states, 20% of children under age 5 suffer from moderate or severe stunting, with negative repercussions on their school performance and even enrollment. Other problems are local disparities (up to 20% fewer students in rural areas); too few teachers (national student/teacher ratios as high as 45:1, compounded by commonly low salaries); and inadequate teacher training (one nation has officially certified 13% of its teachers).

 

ROCKids aspires to bring quality and affordable education to children who would otherwise be denied the chance to study and become literate. Our holistic approach promotes health along with care and education, for in the long term, these needs are mutually necessary and beneficial and open doors for eternal opportunities. But street kids, predomintantly girls, and other especially vulnerable children are the priority. We train women and men who are dedicated to reach out to these children with fairness, as well as knowledge. And crucial to the equation, we also strive to inform the infrastructure of parents and society on the importance of education in order that children be given the maximum opportunity to reach their God-given potential.