The Magic of Science for Rural Girls

The first time I left my rural Kenyan village was to attend Kenyatta University. During my first biochemistry lab, where men outnumbered women, I felt surprised and fascinated by every part of it and did not want to leave. I treasured every second I spent in the lab and was eager to return. I remember wondering why, throughout my earlier education, my peers and I did not have access to science laboratories and other educational tools that would help us to prepare for future careers.

The lack of exposure isn’t the only challenge faced by rural girls, as I was then. Right now, more than  62 million girls around the world are deprived of an education. In addition, millions of young students living in rural areas in developing countries—the majority of whom are girls—face the prospect of lost opportunity and lower wages in the future because of the poor quality of their primary and secondary education.
 

Education is the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4. By that standard, quality education is one that enables all students, including rural girls, to reach their full potential, while preparing them for meaningful participation in our global world. Similarly, science and technology continue to facilitate sustainable growth and development of many nations while playing a major role in solving challenges like climate change, hunger, and lack of water and sustainable clean energy sources.
 

A good education and the concomitant infrastructure of libraries, laboratories, ICT centers, and vocational centers can help equip rural girls with the requisite knowledge and skills needed in labor markets. Education is crucial to prepare them to take on future careers as food technologists, data analysts, computer scientists, software experts, 3D designers, and childcare and healthcare experts.
 

I know what can come about when rural girls have access to the right resources. What I learned at university changed my life trajectory. A good education empowered me. It allowed me to pursue a science career. It opened new horizons and strengthened my pride and self-confidence. It liberated me and has allowed me to reach for the stars again and again. And today, I am actively giving back to my rural community in Kenya.

Many rural children like me who succeed in their careers eventually come back to build their communities and countries. Investing in them is an investment in the greater good. As the global world works toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which pledges to “leave no one behind,” how can we ensure that rural girls—often the most marginalized group—are not left behind?

First and foremost, stakeholders including G7 countries, development partners, national governments, and everyone invested in closing the gender and development gaps have a central role to play. They must create the necessary environment and provide the needed infrastructure, including good rural schools, rural centers of excellence in science, vocational training institutes, and other technology inspired rural centers. Doing so will help equip rural girls with the requisite knowledge and leadership skills needed to succeed in the 21st century. Furthermore, quality education can improve the economic health of nations, enhance civic participation, and reduce poverty and hunger across generations. Each additional year that a girl attends school can increase her earning power by 10 to 20 percent.

There are also other continent-wide returns for investment in rural girls. Africa is the world’s youngest region. By 2030 it will be home to 60 percent of world’s under 25 population. By leveraging this demographic opportunity and empowering them with good educational opportunities and marketable skills, Africa and the world will benefit.
 

Thankfully, across Africa and around the world we are seeing more efforts to bring centers of excellence to rural areas. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is an initiative that has established six centers across the continent. These centers serve as a space that inspires and enables young students to shape Africa’s future through STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math. In South Africa five science centers were recently launched in an effort to support hands-on science teaching and learning at schools.

Secondly, we must ensure that rural girls have access to training in soft skills that are increasingly important for careers now and in the future—communication, emotional intelligence, time management, critical thinking and analysis, adaptability, and problem solving. With these skills girls growing into women can increase their productivity and become an indispensable part of a workforce team. At the same time, we must provide broad mentoring to rural girls and give them access to leadership training to continue empowering this future workforce, while helping them to maneuver the complexities of a changing and dynamic world.
 

If rural girls are to have a part in the fields of sciences and technology, then key investments must be made today. Rural girls, irrespective of their origin, are creative, flexible, and possess many hidden talents that can assist in providing for fresh ideas to solve today’s pressing challenges and serving as a powerful future dynamic workforce. We must invest in them now!