Global Education Fund
What Is the Ms. JD Global Education Fund?
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 Ugandan women in each class year to pursue their dreams of becoming lawyers by attending the law program at Makerere University in Uganda.
The Global Education Fund is run by the Ms. JD Global Education Fund Program Council.
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. One additional year of schooling increases wages by at least 10%, reduces infant mortality rates by at least 5%, and translates into children remaining in school for a longer time. Educating women also reduces maternal mortality improves child nutrition and health, prevents the spread of HIV, and helps protect girls from exploitation and abuse.
Why Uganda?
When the Global Education Fund started, over 45% of Ugandan women over the age of 25 had no schooling at all, and men were 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 had 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 still 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.
Why Makerere University?
Because of the Multiplier Effect…
Ms. JD chose to work with Makerere University through its Gender Mainstreaming Directive to provide this opportunity to women from low income backgrounds. For every two law scholars the Global Education Fund Sponsors the Carnegie Corporation matches the grant and sponsors six additional scholars. That is huge!!!
Learn more about the Global Education Fund and hear from our International Scholars:
2014-2015 Ms. JD Global Education Fund Scholars
2013-2014 Ms. JD Global Education Fund Scholars
2012- 2013 Ms. JD Global Education Fund Scholars
2011-2012 Ms. JD Global Education Fund Scholars
2010-2011 Ms. JD Global Education Fund Scholars
How Can I Support Ms. JD's Global Education Fund?
Click here to learn how you can support Ms. JD's Global Education Fund.
Want to Learn More about the Global Education Fund?
Click here to learn more about the Global Education Fund Program Council. We are currently recruiting new members!
Click here to learn more about Global Education Fund initiatives and past events.
.jpg)
Sources and Helpful Links:
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.
The World Bank, Gender Equality Data Survey
*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.