2. Education Changes the World
Education is a powerful
tool and without it few of
us would reach our full
potential. In refugee
camps very few girls have
the opportunity to pursue
their education beyond
primary school and
without education these
young people have no
way out.
Shine A Light - Overview
3. Education Changes the World
Shine A Light - Overview
Let’s Shine a Light on what girls can achieve if they overcome the
challenges they face in accessing education in the refugee
camps. With your help we can provide these girls with the tools
they need to learn, to strive, and to succeed.
4. Education Changes the World
Shine A Light - Overview
For over 30 years, the
WUSC Student Refugee
Program has been
providing opportunities
for young refugees to
pursue higher education
in Canada. Among the
students sponsored by
WUSC, men greatly
outnumber women
because few girls finish
high school. This is a
situation we aim to
change.
5. Education Changes the World
Shine A Light - Overview
Expected to help with domestic
chores and the care of siblings,
the girls in the camps often miss
school or discontinue their
studies altogether. Many girls
can only find time to study after
dark in camps that lack
electricity.
The first phase of our campaign
focused on raising money for
safe, cost-effective solar lamps
to enable girls to study at night.
6. Education Changes the World
Shine A Light - Overview
Thanks to generous support
from Local Committees,
former sponsored students,
WUSC alumni and the
general public, our first goal
was achieved. Our next
goals are to financed after
school programs training that
will help the girls to make up
the schooling they missed
out on, provide them with
needed school supplies and
finally offer scholarships for
promising young refugee
girls in Kenya.
7. Education Changes the World
Why Girls?
• 62 million girls of primary age worldwide are out
of school.
• The gender gap in education is biggest in sub-
Saharan Africa, with 23 million girls completely
missing out on school.
• In many African countries, only one in four girls
receives a secondary education. At the post-
secondary level, there are twice as many male
students as female ones.
• Barriers can be religious or cultural, but are more often simple
constraints such as lack of teachers, uniforms, textbooks, or
sanitary supplies.
8. Education Changes the World
Education: A Positive
Force for Girls
• Educating a girl dramatically reduces the chance that her child will die
before age five.
• Educated women are more likely to have healthy, spaced pregnancies,
which leads to healthy and educated children.
• Educating a girl improves her ability to support herself and make informed
decisions about her own life.
• Educating a girl provides her with the confidence to value her body and
appreciate her self-worth. This allows her to have a say in the wellbeing of
herself, her family and her community.
• Educated girls can secure better jobs that provide benefits to the entire
family.
9. Education Changes the World
Phase 1: Solar Lamps - $10,000
300 safe, cost-effective solar lamps were provided to
primary and secondary schools to enable girls to
study at night
Phase 2: After School Programs and School
Supplies - $70,000
Every $20 donated will enroll one more girl in 1
month of remedial classes.
Phase 3: Scholarships - $20,000
Every $1000 raised will support one girl through
secondary school outside of the camps.
Fundraising Goals
11. Education Changes the World
What You Can Do
Web Actions
Help spread the word about Shine A Light
and encouraging people to check out the
website. Here’s how:
• Tweet about Shine A Light on Twitter
• Share one of our banners on your Facebook, Myspace,
blog or regular web page
• Embed our campaign video on your social networking
sites
• Post a video testimonial on our YouTube channel
12. Education Changes the World
What You Can Do
On Campus Actions
• Light is a powerful metaphor, and
something we often take for granted.
Organize a “blackout” or “lights out”
event in your classroom or library to
raise awareness.
• Organize a concert, talent show or
dance where the main lighting is
from flashlights throughout the
audience. Get people to bring
flashlights and donations.
13. Education Changes the World
What You Can Do
On Campus Actions
• Partner with a local
light themed festival or
event to fundraise for
SAL
• Be creative and involve
you professor in your
activities since this year
goal is to provide girls in
the camps with After
School Programs.
14. Education Changes the World
Last year 20
Flashlight Mob
were organized
through the
country. These
Flash mob consist
in sitting in a busy
walkway reading
books by flashlight.
The scattered pods
of light created a
surreal and
intriguing
distraction for
What You Can Do
Flashlight Mob!
15. Education Changes the World
While some of
them read books
the other
participants pass
Shine A Light
cards and answer
the passers-by
questions to raise
awareness.
What You Can Do
Flashlight Mob!
16. Education Changes the World
Shine A Light – On The WEB
To stay completely up to date with progress
made on the Shine A Light Campaign, visit
the website:
http://shinealight.wusc.ca/
17. Education Changes the World
Available Resources
Find all of the following Shine A Light
resources in our Supporter Toolkit at:
http://shinealight.wusc.ca/toolkit.html
• Shine A Light banners
• Shine A Light campaign video
• Twitter post suggestions
• Instructions on how to use all of the above
18. Education Changes the World
Sign Up!
Sign up to participate in the Shine A Light
campaign by logging in to My Committee!
http://www.wusc.ca/en/campus/students/committee