Ms. JD strives to increase the representation of women in the legal profession.  While our efforts focus on women law students and lawyers in the United States, Ms. JD wanted to support the rise of women lawyers worldwide.  Grateful for the educational opportunities we have had in the U.S., Ms. JD created the Global Education Fund to enable women in developing countries to pursue legal educations who otherwise would not have access to further education.  

Each year, the Ms. JD Global Education Fund has made it possible for two young Ugandan women to pursue their dreams of becoming lawyers by attending the law program at Makerere University in Uganda!

Contribute to the GEF by clicking here.

Learn more about the Global Education Fund and hear from our International Scholars:

2010 Ms. JD International Scholars 

2011 Ms. JD International Scholars 

2012 Ms. JD International Scholars

Why Is It Important to Support Education for Women?

The World Bank notes that investment in education for girls has one of the highest rates of return to promote development.  In particular, educating women helps them earn higher wages and participate more in actively in the labor force and political sphere.  Providing education to women also has some less obvious benefits such as reducing child and maternal mortality, improving child nutrition and health, preventing the spread of HIV, and protecting girls from exploitation and abuse. 

Why Uganda?

Over 45% of Ugandan women over the age of 25 have no schooling at all, and men are more than twice as likely as women in Uganda to have access to higher education.  To put those numbers in context, over 99% of women over the age of 25 in the U.S. have had at least some schooling, and men are less than 1% more likely than women to have access to higher education.  

In 2006, the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) reached a Cessation of Hostilities agreement that mostly ended a bloody civil war that ravaged Uganda for decades. Known as Africa’s longest war, the violence led to thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of children abducted and made into child soldiers or sex slaves, and millions displaced from their homes.  Uganda is working to sustain its newfound stability and looking toward the future.  Despite recent gains, more than 37% of the population in Uganda still lives below the national poverty line, and life expectancy for women is only 52.4 years.  Education is a critical tool to enable citizens of Uganda to build a better tomorrow for themselves and their children. 

Support Ms. JD's International Scholars!

Funding the legal educations of women like Joaninne and Monica is not possible without your support.  In the coming days and months Ms. JD will be encouraging readers to contribute to our organization's continued efforts to increase the representation of women in law. If you are interested in helping raise money for Ms. JD's work please let us know!  All contributions are tax deductible (but please consult your tax advisor!).  You can donate online, or if you would prefer to donate by check, please reach out to Ms. JD's CFO at cfo@ms-jd.org for instructions.

Thank you for supporting Ms. JD and women in law school and the legal profession both at home and abroad!  

 
Sources:

The World Bank, Girls' Education.

Population Reference Bureau, Empowering Women, Developing Society: Female Education in the Middle East and North Africa.

The United Nations, Uganda: 2010 Consolidated Appeal.

UNESCO, Global Education Digest 2010.

*To ensure proper use of funds, Ms. JD reserves the right to withdraw funds from any program that it views as no longer serving its charitable and educational purpose.