Who would not have been moved by the story of fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating the education of girls? The courage of this young girl and her continuing determination to fight for this basic human right is as inspiring as anything I have seen in recent years.

For a long time now I have been convinced that if there was one thing I could change in the world it would be giving universal education to girls. The reduction in poverty resulting from the education of girls would be enormous and would show the God-given dignity that the millions of girls living in poverty the world over deserve. Studies show that when girls are educated, the ripple effects in the community are significant. They end up marrying later, spacing their children further apart and having less children overall. Education reduces the chances of mother and child dying during childbirth because it means the mother has access to important information about health. If a mother is educated, her future children are more likely to attend school. When a girl is educated, she has greater ability to voice her opinions and make decisions, and it increases her earning potential in the future.

In a world that has made some strides towards equality for women, men, boys and girls, it can be almost overwhelming to discover how much more still needs to be done. One statistic alone is that 33 million fewer girls than boys are attending primary school throughout the world.

World Vision is currently involved in the screening of a wonderful new film about the education of girls. The film is called Half the Sky and it shows the level of justice that could be gained if girls are allowed to be educated.  The facts are that educated girls significantly improve the well-being of their families, their communities, and their countries.

The treatment of women and girls – from the 1st century when female babies were routinely abandoned simply for being the ‘wrong’ sex (which still happens today in places like India and China), to the 21st century when 66 million girls don’t go to school – is a blight on humanity.

When I think about the difference that Christ has made in my life, I am thankful that he has shown me that caring for those considered the ‘least of these’ is such a privilege. I am thankful for my evangelical heritage which has taught me so much of the Bible. It has taught me that God made men and women equal, that in God’s new order there is neither male nor female. What a contrast this is, compared to much of the world today.

Jesus’ attitude towards women and girls was radical in the 1st century. His interactions with females showed them their true dignity, from his healing of the woman with the flow of blood in Mark 5 to his affirmation of Mary sitting and learning from him in Luke 10. These acts of grace by Jesus caused major disruption in the lives of those around, from his closest friends to the religious establishment of the day.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if girls education, which most of us take for granted, didn’t cause disruption in any part of the world? I want to do all I can to live in a world where education for all girls is taken for granted. The love of Jesus inspires me and the Spirit of Jesus empowers me to work for such a world.