When Oak Parker Amy Maglio watched her daughter Gia board the school bus for the first time this fall, she experienced the usual mix of emotions: pride that her child was starting school, nervousness about the new experience, and sadness at letting her baby go. She was also deeply thankful that her daughter, like Maglio herself, can grow up thinking that going to school is nothing out of the ordinary.

Education, especially for girls, is something Maglio no longer takes for granted. Having lived in Senegal as a Peace Corps volunteer in the late-90s, Maglio saw firsthand how hard life can be for the estimated 500 million women around the world who lack basic literacy skills (UNIFEM). Most of the women in her village had never been to school and could not read or write. They had little or no say in family decisions and were often trapped—along with their children—by the economic and cultural limitations of being dependent and uneducated.

"It is no coincidence that some of the poorest, most destabilized societies in the world are also places where women lack education and empowerment," Maglio says. "It was distressing to me to see so many women and girls go without even basic schooling--something I had taken for granted growing up in America."

While in Senegal, Maglio helped her host family’s daughter, 11-year-old Khady, go to school for the first time and saw the immediate difference it made in Khady’s hopes for the future. After returning from the Peace Corps, Maglio decided to help more girls like Khady go to school. She founded Women's Global Education Project in 2003 to help women and girls in developing nations to access the education they need to build a brighter economic future for themselves and their families.

Working first in Senegal then expanding to Kenya, Women's Global is a U.S.-based international NGO who provides scholarships to girls in need, works directly with families and local schools to address issues that keep girls from staying in school (for example, health issues, menstruation, early marriage, and genital cutting), and partners with African women educators, village leaders and local community organizations to address the fundamental socioeconomic and cultural reasons for girls’ non-attendance and non-completion rates. Last year, Women's Global programs for education, awareness and empowerment impacted more than 3,000 individuals in Senegal and Kenya.

Khady worked extremely hard to make up for lost time and became the first graduate of Women’s Global in 2007. She is currently working as a nursing assistant in Senegal as she pursues her ambitions of becoming a nurse. “Khady now has more options open to her because she was able to go to school,” Maglio says. "She can have a better life ahead of her."

Maglio believes the work of Women's Global impacts more than just the individual scholars like Khady. Research has shown that educating a girl has a ripple effect that raises earning potential, increases access to better nutrition, improves health outcomes, decreases rates of child and maternal mortality, lowers birth rates, and reduces vulnerability to violence and exploitation--not just for the girl herself but also for her family and community. A woman who receives schooling is also more likely to send her own children to school.

“Educating a woman means you educate her family as well," Maglio says. "Educating girls is one of the most effective, most sustainable ways to promote development around the world."

Women's Global Education Project will be hosting their annual fundraiser, "Ndajee! Get Together for Girls' Education," on October 19 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Chicago's acclaimed North Pond Restaurant (2610 N. Cannon Dr. in Lincoln Park). The event honors Chicago Public Radio's Jerome McDonnell, host of daily global affairs show Worldview, and features a special performance by the Sénéké West African Percussion Ensemble. Attendees will enjoy selections from James Beard-nominated North Pond Executive Chef/Partner Bruce Sherman, an open bar, and a silent auction of unique and international items.

Tickets are $150 each or $250 for two. Women's Global Education Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are tax-deductible.

“Ndajee!” is sponsored by the Rubens Family Foundation and is hosted by Lynn Besser, Regina Bowgierd and John Kulczycki, Eileen and Shawn Budde, Nancy Juda and Jens Brasch, Norma and Philip Maglio, Adele Simmons, Julie Stagliano, and Bill Taylor.

To purchase tickets, or for more information about “Ndajee!” and Women’s Global Education Project, please visit www.womensglobal.org or call 708.415.7410.