If a new girls bathroom hadn't been built at the N.V. Massaquoi School in this capital city's largest slum, 8-year-old Shalom Venson may never have returned to school.Before the restroom was installed in November, the elementary school's few female students were forced to use a nearby field or coed bathrooms that lacked privacy. Since countless girls had been raped during the 14-year civil war that wracked Liberia before it ended in 2003, a bathroom break had been viewed as a dangerous trip.
Although the conflict is over, sexual violence is still prevalent, education officials say, causing parents to keep their daughters at home when bathrooms are not available. Without separate bathrooms, girls "wouldn't come to school," said Joana Foster, senior adviser on gender issues for the United Nations Mission in Liberia.
When Oprah Winfrey opened a $40 million school in January for 150 girls in South Africa, the spotlight fell on the daunting challenges facing African leaders to educate girls and women. In west and central Africa, female literacy is 38 percent, in contrast to 60 percent for males. By the time girls reach high school, just 20 percent continue their studies, according to a 2007 report by UNICEF.
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