Education and health go hand in hand.  Education equips people with the skills to practice basic elements of health, sanitation, and child care.

Education, especially girls’ education, saves lives and improves the health of families. Educated women are more likely to:

• seek pre- and post-natal care
• follow doctors’ recommendations
• have births attended by trained personnel
• have healthier children, who are more likely to go to school themselves
• have greater decision-making power within the household

HIV/AIDS

Education is one of the most effective preventative weapons against HIV/AIDS and is often referred to as the “social vaccine.”  Young people who have completed primary school are half as likely to contract HIV/AIDS as those with little or no education.

Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

The most effective way to address preventable diseases including small pox, tuberculosis, diarrhea and other water-borne illnesses is through education and behavior change.  Having adequate and appropriate water supply and sanitation facilities in schools is a major factor influencing whether children, and especially adolescent girls, attend school.  Schools provide an excellent place for children to learn about hygiene practices.