TACOMA, Washington — Welsh actress Erin Richards stars in Fox’s Gotham, a television show that focuses on Gotham City before Batman. Perhaps more notably, Richards also is a major activist in the fight against extreme poverty and an ambassador for Global Citizen. Now, she will star as the guest editor for Global Citizen’s month of education. Better than Batman? Absolutely.
Global Citizen, an online platform that writes about and takes action against the biggest problems in the world, is dedicating the entire month of August to education. The month-long endeavor will post content in its education section, informing people about the lack of universal education and the positive potential outcomes if all children had access to education.
Additionally, Global Citizen has a “Take Action” petition for readers to sign that encourages world leaders to promise accessible education to all children around the world.
Richards’ passion to fight poverty stems from her belief that extreme poverty can and should be eradicated by 2030. In April, Richards completed the “Live Below the Line” challenge, a campaign designed by The Global Poverty Project that challenges people to live on $1.50 a day for one to five days. Participants experience first hand the day-to-day trials faced by those that live below the line, while raising money and awareness for the 1.2 billion people that live in poverty around the world.
Together, Global Citizen and Richards have dedicated the month of August to the millions of children around the world that are not receiving an education. Education provides children with hope, opportunity and self-confidence. Education increases earnings, lifts communities out of poverty, generates gender equality and has the potential to reduce violence.
On Global Citizen, Richards explains that her passion for education originates from her dyslexia diagnosis, a condition that made her very aware of the educational process. The significant amount of help she received, however, led her to academic success and helped her understand the immense importance of education. Her heart, therefore, aches for the children that are denied access to education and the right to fulfill their potential.
As the guest editor of Global Citizen’s education month, Richards will post stories, videos and initiatives every day in August, in order to raise awareness about the lack of accessible education around the world.
– Sarah Sheppard
Sources: Global Citizen 1, Global Citizen 2, Global Citizen 3
Photo: Flickr