Access to Education
Social justice issue
Due to various reasons, developing countries lack an access to education, creating a ripple effect in coming generations. In 2015, the number of illiterate adults worldwide reached 745.1 million, not to mention around 114 million young people lack basic reading and writing skills. The lack of education is the cause of poverty, and the reason there is no education is that of poverty itself. This is an issue which needs to be taken care of by the more fortunate countries by donations, volunteers, and overall help. In developing countries, public school is not funded; the cost of uniforms, books, and teachers are funded solely by the students’ families. For low-income countries, each year of additional education increases one’s future income by an average of 10%! Not receiving an education leads to unemployment, which results in emigration; while this may seem like a good idea, other countries may not accept the immigrants due to their lack of skills, resulting in poor wages and dangerous jobs. For these people, they will end up working in sweatshops, holding a sign for a store, giving out flyers on the street, construction work (mixing the concrete, moving equipment, cleaning surrounding areas), and janitors. First world countries will make sure that the fortunate receive more care and therefore putting these poorly educated people to the side. However, what these countries should be doing is helping poor countries to further prevent the problem. A lack of education isn’t a choice, it is a given. People who do not receive a proper education, their rights are being violated.
“15 Facts on Education in Developing Countries.” ACEI-Global, 6 Mar. 2014, https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/ .
“Quick Facts About Education.” Christian Child Sponsorship – Compassion – Child Charity Organization, www.compassion.com/poverty/education.htm .
Who’s affected/how, how is it a social justice problem
Developing countries are vastly affected by the lack of education in the population. The few reasons children do not have access to schools is due to health, sex, and culture (religion, ethnicity, language). Learning is a vital part of brain and social development, which these people lack. This leads to poverty, illness, and unemployment; due to the illiteracy of most adults, the risk of no schooling for the children is doubled and they drop out by the age of two. More than 72 million children around the world are unschooled to this day. Those who can afford schooling in those countries are forced into oversized classes full of students with different levels of education due to a lack of teachers which prevents a child from learning to their full potential. Those most affected are girls and women, who make up over 54% of the population who aren’t schooled. That is because girls are used for housework and taking care of the men, while the men go out and receive some education. This is a social justice problem because according to the Catholic principles of social justice, all humans have the right to have their dignity respected by receiving education, food/water, shelter, clothing, and work. By staying uneducated, the given population will not be able to have their dignity respected when it comes to any of the listed needs.
“15 Facts on Education in Developing Countries.” ACEI-Global, 6 Mar. 2014, https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/ .
Green, NV. “Poverty and Education: A Social Justice Issue.” Nevada Green Party, 4 Apr. 2017, https://nvgreenparty.org/blog/poverty-and-education-a-social-justice-issue/ .
“Right to Education : Situation around the World.” Humanium • We Make Children's Rights Happen, www.humanium.org/en/right-to-education/ .
Which principles are being violated
The principles of Catholic social justice being violated are the principle of human dignity, preferential option for the poor, and solidarity. Human dignity consists of: education, clothing, food, shelter, and work. By not getting an education, a part of this principle is already being violated. Not receiving an education leads to no job, violating another aspect of the principle. No job means no food, shelter, or proper clothing. Preferential option for the poor is when people choose to act on behalf of the good for the poor, whether it is the sick, homeless, or the weak. In this case, these countries lack enough money to be able to provide proper education for the population and other countries are not helping as much as they should be. By adding just a little more to the help they are giving, many children could begin receiving an education, leading to a better future. Solidarity means we are called globally to work for justice. If so, then how come parts of the world are more fortunate than others? Accumulating resources is against this principle, which is what countries are doing; by sending volunteers, or even paying people to come and teach the less fortunate, the would be a different place.
Second step of Catholic social action
The second step of Catholic social action is to be present to the poor and understand their struggles. Developing an understanding of the economic, political and social structures that cause human suffering; to know why people are suffering from financial and emotional issues. Before one can act they must know why and how many people have been left out. We can display the second step of Catholic social action by becoming an Ambassador and volunteering our time. Ambassadors are those who want to work to support and have a heart for those in need, those who embrace the child sponsorship programs, or those who have seen first-hand poverty and want to help. Being a valuable Ambassador is someone who recruits more child sponsors via relatives and friends, someone who organizes events which fundraise or raise awareness, and those who spread the word of the problem. Another way is to become a child advocate, which requires practical assistance to families, tracking child’s case within a database, and overall providing a voice for the children who don’t have one. By learning the fundamentals of the reasons for poverty and how it is affecting future generations, one can speak up and raise a group of followers; this group can eventually make some kind of a difference.
“Child Advocate Career Outlook.” The Social Worker: A Career Exploration Towards a Social Work Occupation: Education, Practice, Ethics, Policy, Theory, www.humanservicesedu.org/child-advocate.html.
People against Poverty, peopleagainstpoverty.com/get-involved/become-an-ambassador/ .
Catholic organizations
The three main organizations working for the cause, are The Catholic World Mission, The Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and The Catholic Relief Services. The Catholic World Mission stated “Our mission is to alleviate material and spiritual poverty by empowering the poor and sharing the Gospel of Christ.” This Catholic organization focuses on alleviating suffering, illuminating the mind, and igniting the Spirit. Their main goals are to eliminate the lack of education, to dignify living, to evangelize, and disaster relief. Unlike other organizations that accept funding from the government, this organization is only accountable to caring neighbours and God to fulfill their goals. They do not comply with restrictions and regulations that prevent them from evangelizing. They created the Mano Amiga school system, which has run for nearly 50 years, helping more than 22,000 children across 38 M.A.S. throughout the world. The Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis is the largest comprehensive social service nonprofit organization; serving thousands of people across 39 different programs in over 17 locations. Their agency is certified by the council on MCCCA (Minnesota Council of Child Caring Agencies). They are a member of the Catholic Charities USA, one of the largest private networks working for poverty and providing services. The Catholic Relief Services organization was founded by the Catholic Bishops of the United States for serving the World War II survivors. As of 2018, they serve more than 85 million people in 1101 countries across 5 continents. They follow the example of Jesus Christ, trying to ease suffering, foster charity and justice, and to provide developmental assistance. Their mission is to assist the disadvantaged while promoting the sacredness of human life and human dignity. Their operations are based on people’s needs, regardless of their faith. In conclusion, these organizations have educated millions of people across a vast variety of countries around the world and continue to reach out to new people.
“About Us.” Sri Lanka | Catholic World Mission, catholicworldmission.org/about-us.
“CRS Education | Home.” Families | CRS Education, education.crs.org.
“Our Organization.” Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, www.cctwincities.org/our-organization/ .
Catholic organizations as the hands and feet of Christ
To be the hands and feet of Christ, St. Teresa of Avila knows a way: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” The Catholic World Mission stated, “We are the hands, feet, and eyes of Christ to impoverished children and families” which shows their goal to alleviate suffering little by little. The Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis organization serves those most in need, they’re a leader at solving poverty, creating opportunity, and advocating for justice in the community. The Catholic Relief Services organization embodies God’s hands and feet. They are willing to work for Him, and He is working through us. With diligence and openness to God, their labor for the poor becomes God’s work. What does it mean to be the hands and feet of Christ? It means showing love and compassion, meeting the needs of others, forgiving, and sharing grace and mercy, which is what these organizations are trying to achieve.