Children in Peru without birth certificates cannot enroll in government schools. Learn how World Vision is helping these children.

Each day, millions of girls around the world can’t step into a classroom. Instead, neglect, abuse, and poverty create seemingly insurmountable barriers to their education, resulting in about 496 million women who can’t read and write today. World Vision works in nearly 100 countries to help girls overcome these barriers so they can attend school, improve their lives, and help advance their communities.

Carol Tatiana Ramos Ramirez, 5, attends a nonformal preschool in Tambo, southern Peru. Many children in the countryside attend such early education centers because they don't have birth certificates, which are needed to enroll in government schools. In preschools like this one, teachers are volunteers who receive a small government stipend every month. This preschool received World Vision assistance thanks to a gift from a child sponsor, which will help improve the building's security and provide new learning games and toys.

Written by Kristy J. O'Hara