These numbers are the equivalent of every child in North America and every child in Europe being denied any schooling. Most of the children denied an education are girls. Another 150 million children drop out of primary school before they have completed four years of education. 872 million people, one in four adults in the developing world, cannot read or write. Two thirds of them are women.
Poor people know that education is the best escape route from a life of poverty.
Education brings with it improved health, the chance of prosperity, and hope for the future. It opens the door to a life of independence and dignity. Rieky Stuart, Executive Director, Oxfam Canada. Providing children with the chance to go to school is one of the most effective ways of ending exploitative child labour. When children are at school, they are not in the sweatshop.