Water and education are closely linked, particulary in developing countries. Every day, millions of children are deprived of their right to learn because they have no easy access to water and sanitation. In underprivileged countries where water is a rare resource, children must walk long hours to fetch water at the source or from a well, and to lead cattle to a stream. Girls are most often the ones who are left with these tasks, in the same way as they are the ones who must care for their loved ones suffering from waterborne diseases. Difficult access to water therefore explains in part why 104 million children, among which 65 million girls, are currently absent from school. Education is also effected by water contamination, since the resulting diseases force a great number of children to stay home. As a consequence, 443 million school days are lost each year because of infections linked to contaminated water. As for the children who continue to go to school in spite of it all, their learning abilities are often weakened by these diseases that affect their memory and concentration. Education is a driving force for a country’s development. To break the vicious circle of poverty, access to water must become a reality for all. www.onedrop.org ( less )

The secret to helping Uganda lies not in waiting for the government to step in and help, but to channel aid, resources, and equipment DIRECTLY to the people who are already making a difference on the ground. Our mission is to alleviate the suffering of women, children, and families in rural Uganda using an approach we call deep development which means empowering communities, village by village, to create their own long-term solutions to healthcare, education, and microenterprise Our commitment to donors is to provide audio, video, and written documentation so that they can experience a first-hand account of how their donated funds are being allocated. We make a DIRECT connection with the people you are helping. For more inforation, please visit:  http://www.JustLikeMyChild.org ( less )

UNICEF correspondent Suzanne Beukes reports on UNICEF's efforts to improve education in Benin. For more information, please visit:  http://www.unicef.org ( less )

Maneesha Singh (India) talks about youth involvement in ICPD+20 on advocating for a comprehensive sexuality education ( less )

KYENJOJO DISTRICT, Uganda, 14 April 2010 Peace Margaret Atwooki, 14, is back in school after a four-year absence. Peace Margaret is an orphan, a not uncommon fate in Uganda, where many children have lost their parents to AIDS and other diseases. She dropped out of school after losing her parents to earn money as a housegirl. But a UNICEF-supported club which a friend recommended to Peace Margaret encouraged her to return to the classroom. I realized that my parents are not there, she said. So I say, let me go and study and maybe in the future become an important person, not a housegirl. Peace Margaret joined a local club that is part of the Girls' Education Movement or GEM which was started in Uganda in 2001 with UNICEF support. GEM has active chapters across sub-Saharan Africa, all with the same goal: to ensure that children like Peace Margaret have support to go to, and stay in, school. For more information, please visit:  http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda_53331.html ( less )

The following video showcases Save the Children's education work across the world. Our purpose is to strengthen our education work by promoting collaboration and policy coherence; building professional capacity and technical expertise; sharing knowledge and lessons learnt from our experience on the ground; supporting fundraising; and piloting innovative breakthrough activities in priority areas. ( less )

One of the most important ways to assist refugees in cities is to increase access to educational opportunities. Half of refugees worldwide live in urban areas where they struggle to find work and and often face systemic discrimination. Refugees International traveled to Mwiki Primary School in Githurai outside of Nairobi, Kenya where Kenyan officials, teachers, and students as well as the UN Refugee Agency and its partners have helped refugees access education there. For more information, please visit  http://www.refugeesinternational.org/ ( less )

UNICEF correspondent Suzanne Beukes reports on a training program for Angola's teachers that is helping improve education quality. For more information, please visit:  http://www.unicef.org ( less )

"Can You Solve This?" is a human rights campaign that aims to mobilise large numbers of individuals and groups in support of thousands of youth in Iran who are systematically denied acces to higher education by the discriminatory and oppressive practices of their government. Can you solve this? This clip consists of original illustrations, animation, music and narration created by a team of creative professionals that came together to support this cause. The illustrations are inspired by Marjan Satrapi's work, which we greatly respect and admire. The style which she pioneered is well-suited for "Can We Solve This", as it's effective in story-telling and is immediately associated with Iran. We thank Marjan for being a source of inspiration to us. ( less )

In Afghanistan, the education of girls is crucial for the future development of the country. More stories on: http://actfast.oxfamamerica.org/index.php# ( less )