One thing (among many) I appreciate about Delta Kappa Gamma is its global emphasis. In our own chapter, we hear about travels, service trips, and local efforts to help schools in Africa. On an international level, DKG supports Schools for Africa and gives World Fellowship Scholarships which educate women who will work for good in their own countries.
The help is needed. According to UNESCO
- The world will need 6.8 million teachers for primary education by the year 2015
- Sub-Saharan Africa will need to recruit more than 1.8 million primary school teachers by 2015.
- 53% of the primary age children in the world are not in school, and girls are the majority of that group
- Pupil-teacher ratios around the world are rising. For example, there are 84 primary students to each one teacher in the Central African Republic, 79 students to each teacher in Malawi, and 65 students to each teacher in Rwanda.
Obviously, there is work to do. As I pay my dues to Delta Kappa Gamma, I think about the outreach that our organization does to help improve education worldwide. I am proud of the leadership and impact that we have in the world and hope you are too.
Jolene Beckman-Sternhagen, First Vice-President
