Twumasi Trivia

So when we’re talking about women’s education in underdeveloped countries, we definitely need to not only talk about what’s happening in these countries, but what other countries are doing about the issue.

Of course, I’m talking about foreign aid. It can sometimes be a bit controversial because some cynics doubt that it does anything. Which leads us to our question about American foreign aid.

​Indeed, contrary to popular belief, not all foreign aid goes directly to the government. In fact, a lot of it is diverted to non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and private companies to avoid the grimy hands of corrupt leaders.

But this virus of corruption simply can’t help itself. It is a treasured African tradition after all. So it must hack other institutions as well; including the sanctuary of education. A big reason why it does is because, shockingly, it’s really, really hard to get a good-paying job in Africa. Many young students depend on college to get them that job. It’s actually a lot like America, but 300 times worse.

And so, educational leaders, knowing that students can’t really complain, take a slight sum of half a million dollars. Just a cool bonus, you know? This sort of corruption drips into other organizations and rewires their purpose for more nefarious, evil means.

All of this might seem a bit loosely connected. But the big picture is this: when we support women’s education and rights, we don’t just support Songtaba. We support Global Mamas, which gives job opportunities to women who may not have had the most expansive education. We support Wisdom Academy, which gives scholarships to students, allowing both girls and boys to go to school and thrive. We support organizations that really might cultivate…world leaders.

These world leaders are just women who finally have a stake in their community. Before, they were dependent. They had to sell their looks. Themselves (sometimes, literally). But not their skills. Their purpose was seized. But with our work, they have a stake in their community. They make money. They put it into their community. They want their people to succeed. They want their kids to succeed. They ache and pray for their people. They ache and pray for their kids.

And when these women see corruption in their universities, corruption in their local governments, corruption in their national governments, and they are financially independent…well, let’s just say that, like the Ariana Grande song, those are some dangerous women.