So They Can Thrive

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
-Frederick Douglass, US American social reformer, formerly enslaved person, abolitionist, orator, writer, & statesman

"We've shown again and again, in every UN report on the status of women, that wherever women control their own bodies and have access to education, societies prosper. Men's fortunes go up, children's fortunes go up. This is not news - it's been proven repeatedly. Anywhere those things are threatened, we have to defend them." -Erica Jong, US American novelist, satirist, second-wave feminist, & poet

"Everyone wins when children - and especially girls – have access to education. An educated girl is likely to increase her personal earning potential and prepare herself for a productive and fulfilling life, as well as reduce poverty in the whole community. Investing in girls' education also helps delay early marriage and parenthood. Our booming economies in Africa need more female engineers, teachers and doctors to prosper and sustain growth." -Angelique Kidjo, Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, & activist

"It is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education." -Nelson Mandela