Walking the Halls for Global Education

This past week, I visited Washington DC to walk the halls of Congress, the State Department, National Security Council and Office of Management and Budget. Not the usual destinations for someone who often plays dress up for a living, but I was there with 1GOAL: Education for All to pound the pavement and talk about education for the world's poorest children.

I was looking for champions -- those who have been working tirelessly on this issue, like Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I wanted to sit with these incredible women, learn from them, and say thank you for their work on helping every child, especially girls, get the opportunity to have an education. I thanked Senate Majority Leader Reid for his support and met with both Democrats like Congressman Smith and Republicans like Senator Isakson, who believe education is a powerful tool to expand opportunities for women and fight extremism.

I spoke with people like Gayle Smith, President Obama's lead on international development at the National Security Council, spoke with expert teams at the Office of Management and Budget and met with the groups and advocates working on this issue. My view of the global education crisis expanded even further as I listened to their take on best approaches to policy. We all agreed that the U.S. has the responsibility to lead on the goal of getting the 75 million children currently out of school into a classroom. And do it sooner rather than later.

I believe that 2010 is the year for a breakthrough on global education. With the World Cup in Africa and the eyes of the world on the continent, we can connect the energy of this global game with the power of the negotiating table at the world's leading forums like the G20, G8 and UN Millennium Development Goals Summit. The stage is set for America to be a leader and convener, with an opportunity for President Obama to pledge to achieve education for all children and also call on other governments to do their fair share through joint funding and shared approaches.

Why now? The fact is education is the most effective way to fight poverty. Every year a child is out of school is a year they lose in literacy, in health, in opportunity. In the current economic environment, investing is education is smart aid and smart power. Increased global education funding fights global poverty at the root, empowers girls and women, and promotes economic growth in poor countries around the world. Experts tell us that a girl will earn an additional 10% in income for every year of schooling she receives and be 50% less likely to become infected with HIV/AIDS. Larry Summer's own research showed that in Africa, children of mothers who receive five years of primary education are 40 percent more likely to live beyond the age of 5.

For many of my meetings on the Hill, I walked the halls with Mary Njoroge, a Kenyan school teacher who was at the helm of the Kenyan government push in 2003 to get rid of school fees. These small fees, often for a uniform or the equivalent of a just a few dollars, were an insurmountable barrier for children from families living in poverty. Once the fees were abolished, over 1 million children enrolled in school in just one week. Mary has seen it herself, we have approaches that work. Now we need the political will to put them into action.

Every child should have that chance to stand up and walk into their future. They need leaders in Washington and around the world to deliver on their promises so all our children can receive the education they deserve. With U.S. leadership, if we come together in 2010, we can make the lasting legacy of the first World Cup in Africa education for all children.

Get involved and add your name at join1goal.org

 

Comments

[str8fwd]

I don't usually follow celebrity news, but I just saw "Honey" the other day and realized just how beautiful and talented Jessica Alba is. And something like this makes me feel that her heart is beautiful as well.

[johnr49]

Wouldn't it be great if other people in the spotlight, like Sarah Palin and Carrie Prejean, actually did something constructive to help others?

[S rangeBrew]

Keep up the great work Jessica. If the downside of celebrity is not being able to step outside without you and your loved ones getting harrassed by paps, maybe the upside is the ability to make a positive difference, however small or big, in the lives of others less fortunate. When your little girl is old enough to understand, she's going to be very proud of her mama.

Education is ALWAYS a great thing to spend taxpayer money on. How about this for evidence: "A congressionally mandated cost-benefit analysis concluded that for every $1 invested in education under the original G.I. Bill of 1944, the nation received between $5 and $12 in economic benefits, such as increased tax revenue and heightened productivity."

If I told you there was an investment opportunity that would give you 500 to 1200 percent returns, would you not be crazy to invest in it? Why then, do we even CONSIDER cutting education? Why do we not give free college scholarships to EVERY student who show the ability? It blows my mind.

[Michael Pang]

In addition to your global work, I hope you consider using your skills to help address the education crisis here in the US as well. If you're ever in San Francisco, I work for a non-profit organization, serving the last African-American community in the city, and would be more than happy to take you on some school visits and introduce you to some amazing youth who need all the support they can get.

[monkeymuggs]

Good for her, I always liked Jessica Alba.
Nice to see something like this going on from such a High profile Celeb.

[Marie84]

I like to see people use their celebrity status to raise awareness to important real-world issues. It is quite inspiring to know that "celebrity life" is not the most important thing to some people. Jessica Alba seems very sincere, and not just part of a trend. Great job.

[bensisco]

Keep up the good work! Beauty and a caring heart. What a combination.

[Blenvid]

I've commented on Ms. Alba's previous blog that I think she's doing a great job. Does she actually read and participate in the discussion about her blog, or is this just a one-sided post?

[StarDagger]

Jessica Alba is a Goddess, and should be worshiped as such!

[adj mz]

Dear Jessica,

I appreciate your desire to do good work, but I feel perhaps you were being a little too self-deprecating at points in your post. You know that being an actor is more than "playing dress up". Why compare yourself unfavorably to these so-called "incredible women"? They are, after all, just politicians. Creative work is just as important (and I would argue MORE important - but I won't get into that here) than politics. I understand you have to play the game, but be proud of who you are and honor your true calling - great movies can change the world too!

Yours truly,

A Director

[powerlift2201]

I think it's great that Jessica Alba is heading a group to improve world wide education. But couldn't we have gotten someone who could use proper grammar when they write. There were so many coma splices that stopped reading the essay.

Again, great cause but Jessica Alba doesn't strike me as the actual pro-education type.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

I have new respect for Jessica Alba.

[Ranta]

U.C. Berkeley students, teachers and university workers go on strike later today. Students are being asked to pay a 32% tuition hike. The right wing quest to destroy public education must be stopped and what better place is there to do that?

http://www.ucstrike.com/

Democracy Now had a full show on 11/17
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/17/why_are_we_destroying_public_education

[ples32]

Okay maybe i am an idiot but i read the article you linked in about the tuition hike. How does this have anything to do with anything but the Regents at Berkeley. "But one month after declaring an "extreme financial emergency," and "saving" $170 million by furloughing employees, UC chose to take on $1.35 billion in new debt for 70 construction projects" .
How does that lead you to a right wing quest to destroy public education? Do you expect me to believe that the Regents at UC Berkeley are right wing?

[ywcachieve]

Go Jess! I love what you're doing.

[Sharon Corcoran]

I think it's great that she is getting involved in something positive. It is time we talked about what is going on in this country and move towards solving it. We have children living in terror everyday. They don't know if they will make it home alive. Child porn in the US is a crisis. Children are being used by gang's and drug dealers. Our children are falling behind in education. 30% of school children in CA are homeless- 37% in Arizona- 800 children a month in Los Angeles are taken into Fostercare. Somehow there is an attitute that a child in America isn't as needy as a child elsewhere. There are wonderful people like Agnes Stevens - who started School on Wheels in the 90's after seeing how many children were homeless in LA. They provide one-on-one tutoring for homeless kids who live in shelters, group foster homes and on the streets weekly tutoring and mentoring, every student receives a backpack, school supplies, and uniforms; students get assistance enrolling in school and with locating and filing school records; and each student receives a toll-free phone number for around-the-clock School on Wheels’ support.These are volunteers.
http://www.schoolonwheels.org/ I would like to see movie stars start promoting domestic programs. Some are doing a great job here. Lift our children up. Some will be the next problem solvers for global issues because they understand these issues better than most.