When delving into a topic, it’s important to look at what has been and what is. We should learn lessons from the past and build on those lessons to move forward. The Rural Girls project is no exception.
 

Working on the project, we spent a lot of time in flashbacks. We looked at the good work that has come before, and we pulled in personal experiences. Arlene referred to her own rural girl experience in thinking about the implications of growing up on a farm, in a rural community, far from public schools and other urban-based resources. We both reflected on what we learned about life for girls in rural communities through our Peace Corps experiences in rural areas of Guatemala (Carol) and Niger (Arlene) and our other work. We considered the data we have seen and what we have learned in our academic and professional pursuits. We discussed and debated what has worked and not worked in our experiences and in the experiences of others whose knowledge we’ve tapped.
 

One thing that we know, however, is that if we can’t visualize a different or better future (for ourselves or for others), we cannot aspire to it, cannot do our part to make it happen. Girls who can’t imagine they will ever be able to go to school, have a career, or have control over the money they earn are stunted by the inability to see themselves doing those things. Conversely, girls who are provided a safe and supportive environment and can see themselves becoming strong, educated, productive adults will thrive and achieve.
 

So we turn now to that future, the world that will be when the recommendations in this report are implemented, when rural girls are given the opportunity to maximize their potential. Here are just a few things that our experience and research have told us about what a wonderful world it will be.
 

As newborns: Because their parents are “child ready,” educated, nourished, and productive adults engaged in work where they earn more than enough to cover their daily needs, rural girls of the future will be born healthy to healthy, educated, and nuturing parents and cared for in economically viable rural households.
 

As children: Rural girls of the future will be safe and able to learn and thrive at school, help their families, and play without fear, guilt, or payment (through heavy work burdens, sexual favors, or another price). They will have role models and understanding parents and teachers who support their dreams, introduce them to earning and saving, teach them to resolve conflicts without violence or subjugation, and help them build the foundations they need to achieve their dreams and their potential.
 

As young adults: Rural girls in the future will continue to be safe; attend secondary school; find mentors; delay marriage until they are physically, mentally, and economically ready; understand finances; and begin to manage money. They will be able to engage with the outside world through affordable and responsive technology.
 

As secondary school graduates: They will have affordable choices for further education or skill development in fields of direct interest to them and find paid work that matches their interests. If they so choose, they will be able to find paid employment paths within their rural communities. They will be able to plan for marriage and having families.
 

As adults and parents: They will contribute to society as productive, healthy citizens who participate proactively in the economy, understand and expand political choices, and engage in charitable activities. They will continue to innovate and shape a positive and peaceful future. If they choose to become parents themselves, they will give birth to healthy children, nourish them, and support them to learn and to thrive.
 

With the next generations of rural girls and women thriving, the world will be at least 4 percent more agriculturally productive, GDP growth rates could be nearly 5 percent higher, and health indicators for girls, women, and their entire communities would improve. Birth rates will drop to sustainable levels, rural-to-urban migration will slow (or even reverse), and unemployment rates among youth and women will plunge. The welfare of men and boys will improve as well, as they reap the benefits of shared responsibilities and earnings, better health and social systems, and successful means of resolving conflict without violence or subjugation.

 

In this environment, all citizens will be able to aspire to a healthy and positive cycle of life, living into old age where they choose to live, comfortable in the knowledge that their contributions to society are recognized and repaid through the very support systems in which they have invested over their lifetimes.

What a wonderful world this will be.