Founder Susann Dattenberg-Doyle Website www.rightforeducation.org | ||
Right for Education (R:Ed) is an international, non-governmental organization based in Ghana and focused on improving education for children and adults, as well as increasing knowledge on a variety of topics including health, technology, environment, business and human rights. It operates in more than 30 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering information in both English and French. Right for Education aims to allow others to help themselves through access to free educational materials. As a result, the organisation has no political or religious ties and encourages free thinking and debate between its members. The organisation's ambitions are consistent with Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as produced by the United Nations. R:Ed has hundreds of thousands of users in Sub-Saharan Africa, and continues to engage an average of 80,000 followers on a weekly basis.
Contents
History
Right for Education was formally established in 2014 by Dr. Susann Dattenberg-Doyle. She first became involved in work in Ghana in 1999. In 2004 new school buildings funded by Dattenberg-Doyle were opened in Kpoeta in the Upper Volta region where she was elected Mama Ngorisi Dziwornu I, Queen of Gbi Kpoeta. The school has continued to grow and has almost 1000 pupils. Having previously done extensive work in Sub-Saharan Africa, she decided that the methods of other multi-national charities could often prove to be counter-productive. Despite the increase in the creation of schools in the region, a major hurdle to overcome was a lack of educational resources. As a result, she decided to establish a charity whose goal was providing education, to both children and adults, directly.
Through extensive networking and using the help of volunteers, she began to collect a library of publications that ranged from basic information about health care to human rights and business. At first, she attempted to print these books in Europe and ship them to Africa. However, this was met with limited success, with customs officials often seizing and impounding the materials. As a result, the method of delivery was changed, and the books were placed online in order to circumvent the barriers formed by officialdom. By using the internet and social media, families and communities could download the information directly, and implement the ideas into their lives.
From 2012, Dattenberg-Doyle's work under "I Do Philanthropy" was granted NGO status from the government of Ghana, which led to the founding of Right for Education (R:Ed) and the website in 2014. The website currently contains all of the materials produced by R:Ed and is the main access point of the majority of users. Through social media and word of mouth, the number of users of the site has steadily increased, as well as attracting over 1'000'000 likes on Facebook.
Organisation
The goal is to improve reading skills in Sub-Saharan Africa by creating an accessible, low-bandwidth library and using social media platforms such as Facebook to promote and reach as many people as possible. This virtual library is being created with help from experts in their fields: scientists, medical doctors, anthropologists, lawyers and engineers who have knowledge to share. Topics include how to clean water and important facts about Ebola. Long-term, R:Ed hopes to become a global movement providing information concerning mental and physical health, human rights, environmental issues, and business ideas specific to Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to their website, R:Ed targets over 30 French and English speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa. R:Ed wants to help end poverty and improve quality of life through education and self-help. Information booklets are distributed electronically in French and English. In this way, R:Ed is taking a new approach by trying to reach people in more remote areas who still, however, have access to Internet via mobile phone. Supporting cultural identity and encouraging diversity are important aspects of the campaign. Equal rights between men and women are a foundation of the organisation's ideologies.
R:Ed publishes articles using different writers with a variety of original and imaginative methods to explain simple ideas. R:Ed’s long term goal is to help change attitudes and stimulate social change by recruiting authors with expertise and a desire to share it. The statistics show that tens of thousands of people in Western Africa access the articles which provide them with easily accessible and important information in one place. At present R:Ed is recruiting authors to write on medicine, human rights and cultural pride. Each author’s article adds to the library of texts online. Authors are encouraged to write their views about the same topics in order to promote debate and varying points of view. R:Ed aims to have a library of articles on interconnecting topics that offer different ideas. This gives multiple ways to appeal to difficult to reach people by offering fresh viewpoints. R:Ed encourages critical thinking and self-direction. It wishes each community their own identity and cultural aspirations.
Women's rights
One of the most important themes within the organisation is that of equal rights for women, be it at home, at school, or in the work-place. Gender equality is proven to help with the eradication of poverty and therefore R:Ed has a significant focus on promoting and protecting women's rights. In the future, R:Ed is determined to see women grow in confidence and skills, therefore making a positive impact on society, and helping communities to escape poverty.
Methodology
Right for Education focuses on a range of topics: from health, law and business to culture, psychology and the environment, as well as providing stories for children to practice their reading. Amongst others, the topics R:Ed focuses on are:
Contributors
R:Ed contributors are largely made up of volunteers who have a degree of experience in the field they are writing about. They recruit solely from top UK and international universities and select goal orientated, highly motivated and efficient people. R:Ed believes that the most effective form of charitable giving is knowledge rather than money.
The contributors give their knowledge and time for free. They review and present their knowledge in the context of sub-Saharan Africa. Contributors are trained and educated by R:Ed on matters of phrasing, wording and cultural content. R:Ed's contributors remain part of the R:Ed community in the form of the R:Ed Alumni Group on Linkedin.
Mission statement
R:Ed believes in help through self-help. Education is the best way to end poverty.