International Women's Day on March 8, had leading women advocates and celebrities tweeting to their 6.5 million followers about EFA FTI's new report "Fast-Tracking Girls' Education". World-renowned singer-activists Shakira and Angelique Kidjo, actresses Jessica Alba and Elizabeth Banks, TV fashion critic Nina Garcia and CNN (en español) correspondent Maria Santana tweeted to their millions of supporters about the importance of girls' education and how @EducationFTI is critical to moving this issue forward. Shakira tweeted that far fewer girls than boys finish school and that we have to set the record straight. Angelique, Nina, and Elizabeth shouted out over Twitter how better educated girls make stronger and healthier women who raise healthier families. Jessica and Maria tweeted that "Education FTI" is helping put more girls around the world into the classroom.
The outpouring of Tweets launched FTI's latest report – which highlights the enormous strides in girls' education that have been made over the past decade – into the blogosphere. The report reviews 'girl-friendly' policy measures taken in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Yemen in order to get girls into school and to have them finish their education. It also warns that far too many girls drop out of school and that their learning levels are often very low. The report calls for more political and financial support in order not to lose yet another generation of uneducated, poor girls. And the celebrity Tweeters couldn't agree more!
As a former newspaper journalist, I know how hard it is to 'sell' development stories, especially nuanced ones, to editors, news wires and broadcast channels. While the pick up from 'traditional' media on our latest report was modest, we are thrilled with our outreach in social media, especially Twitter. To reach an audience of 6.5 million people is mind-boggling. Thanks to the leading ladies' Tweets our website page views shot up 25% on International Women's Day. Although I hope newspapers will never cease to exist, a costly, full-color print advertisement from Shakira endorsing our 'products' would never have been possible in the real world. So for FTI's sake, and for girls' education: Tweet away!