SYDNEY, Australia — Education in Australia begins at the age of five or six and is mandatory up to the age of 16. The system is divided into three parts: primary, secondary and senior secondary school. Primary runs from kindergarten to year six or seven while secondary continues from seven to ten. The senior secondary school includes the final two years, 11 and 12. Education beyond is called tertiary and involves both universities and vocational training. The different types of schools available are governmental, non-governmental or religious schools such as Catholic or Islamic and Montessori or Steiner schools, the basis of…
Author: Rebecca Causey
Rebecca Causey
Rebecca is a writer for The Borgen Project from Monroe, LA. She was born in Tennessee, and grew up in Louisiana playing soccer, tennis, and basketball. Rebecca's academic interests include Psychology and English. She has interned as an urban missions intern in New York City and hopes to move back to the city in the future. - An interesting fact about your life? My favorite book is The Great Gatsby and my nickname is Daisy.
ABUJA, Nigeria — What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question everyone asks, but so often the answer is dictated by cultural expectations or limitations due to economic status. In Africa, young girls’ answers to this question are beginning to change. A program developed by the United States Agency for International Development is determined to encourage and enable the employment of more women in the energy sector. Because companies in the energy industry are often the largest employers of an entire country, increasing the number of females contributing to this industry will help the…
SEATTLE — Power Africa is an initiative focused on changing the reality that two out of three people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to electricity. Launched by President Obama in June 2013, Power Africa focuses efforts on three areas: technical experts, the private sector and world leaders. These groups collaborate to increase the number of people in Africa with electricity. According to Power Africa, “Access to electricity is an opportunity.” And electricity in Africa is an essential opportunity, one that will connect the continent to the global economy and increase internet access, communication, education and medical advancements. Power Africa’s goal is to increase…
SEATTLE — Three billion people live on less than $2.50 per day, according to the Foundation for International Community Assistance. One in eight people on the planet does not have access to clean water, reports The Water Project. Twelve million children in America struggle to have enough to eat, according to Loaves & Fishes. But as the global community becomes better-connected, there has never been a better time to be an advocate for the poor. Statistics like these and the internet’s ever-growing wealth of information allow us to be better informed than ever before. People from across the globe are now…
MONROE, Louisiana — Rashida Jones, an actress best known for her role as Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation, recently traveled to Lebanon with the International Rescue Committee to meet Syrian refugees who have taken shelter there. The IRC is an 83-year-old organization and their mission, according to their website, is as follows: “[to respond] to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.” The Syrian War began in 2011 and over 1 million refugees have since fled their home country and ended up in Lebanon.…
SEATTLE — The Digital Global Access Policy (GAP) Act of 2016, which was approved by the House of Representatives in September and has now moved on to the Senate, will greatly influence the future of developing nations that currently do not have access to the internet. This Act, H.R. 5537, will develop cybersecurity policy, shape principles of global internet freedom and establish internet access in developing nations. It is a bipartisan bill, introduced by Congressman Edward R. Royce (R-CA-39). Though these topics seem initially abstract, the Act has one main goal: for the United States to bridge the gap between…
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras ranks second in poverty among Central American countries, and 80 percent of its families live in insecure conditions. As a result, education in Honduras suffers. Many children drop out of school in order to help provide for their families. According to Bless the Children, only 30 percent of children in the country attend high school. These statistics stand in contrast to the results of a survey conducted by Education Development Center (EDC). The survey reported that Honduran youth have a desire not only to learn, but also to find stable employment and achieve milestones in education such as graduating from…
SEATTLE – Kristen Bell is known for several iconic roles such as the CW’s Veronica Mars and Princess Anna in “Frozen.” She is a positive presence in the movie industry, and this positivity extends beyond upbeat characters and stellar-comedic timing. For her 30th birthday, Bell partnered with charity: water to raise $100,000 to build a well in Northern Ethiopia. She traveled to the village of Wakumba about eight months after reaching her fundraising goal, where she met around 1,000 people. They came together to celebrate the existence of a water source that would change their everyday lives. The local people welcomed the…
SEATTLE — Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon has accomplished more than winning acting’s most prestigious award and consistently landing leading roles. She has committed to using her position to tell powerful stories of people rising above immense challenge. Witherspoon starred in the 2014 film “The Good Lie” in which she portrayed an employment agency counselor given the task of helping three Sudanese refugees find jobs in America. These ‘Lost Boys’ were displaced during the second Sudanese War and walked thousand of miles as children to safety. The Enough Project reports that the second Sudanese War occurred when southern rebels revolted…
Uganda — Sophia Bush can be found every week in a new episode of “Chicago P.D.” As Detective Erin Lindsay, she fights crime, battles against her past and inspires thousands of viewers. Sophia Bush in real life, however, might just be even more inspiring. Bush is committed to using her platform to be an advocate for organizations that make a lasting impact on poverty. In 2015, Bush traveled to Uganda with three different non-profit organizations to design new jewelry and clothing collections. Akola, 31 Bits and Sseko are Uganda-based companies that work with local women to employ, equip and empower them…