Young Horsham volunteer uses her voice for girls’ education at UK government event

A woman from Horsham has spoken out about barriers to girls’ education in developing countries at a UK government event.
Tara Geoghegan at the Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeTara Geoghegan at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tara Geoghegan at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Tara Geoghegan, a 21-year-old student, used her voice for global girls’ education last Monday at an International Women’s Day event, hosted by the UK Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Tara spoke about her months volunteering with girls in Bangladesh with the International Citizen Service (ICS).

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Tara, who studies international development with media at the University of East Anglia, completed her placement as part of #12months12issues, a project she created which saw her working with different charities and organisations around the world on different global issues.

International Women's Day event at the FCOInternational Women's Day event at the FCO
International Women's Day event at the FCO

During her placement in Bangladesh, Tara found that girls in the Parbatipur community would often be forced to drop out of school to marry.

The team worked with community and government officials to set up ‘girls’ corners’ with leaflets on menstruation, sanitary products and a question box regularly opened by trained sexual health specialists.

They also set up an anti-child marriage committee and began to establish a phone hotline, with members provided with counselling training.

Tara said: “The government event was very inspiring.

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“I was sat on a table with embassy ambassadors, Cambridge students and CEOs of non-governmental organisations.

“They all had extensive experience and at first I was extremely cautious to use my voice, but then I remembered I was there to be the voice for the girls I met on my placement and on other volunteering projects that weren’t lucky to be in the same position I was.

“I was able to offer insightful points about education in the developing world which people in high authority governments may have not even considered but hopefully now will.”

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “It is a tragic waste that every day, across the world, millions of girls are unable to go to school.

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“Millions of future female doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and scientists are still not able to realise their full potential.

“It was wonderful to meet so many inspiring British women and girls like Tara who are working with the UK funded International Citizen Service to change that.

“Thank you to every volunteer who is working to create a world where every girl can benefit from 12 years of top quality education.”

Unicef estimated that only 25 per cent of countries worldwide have equal educational standards between boys and girls in upper secondary education.

Gender equality in education also reduces the likelihood of damaging practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, the organisation said.