Students from Americans for Informed Democracy, or AID, wrote and collected letters to deliver to Senator Rand Paul, encouraging increased funding for women’s education globally. 

Members of AID tabled in Minton Hall, asking students to sign or write letters placing an emphasis on increasing funding for women’s education. Template letters were available, or students could write their own letters. The tabling events are part of the ONE campaign, Poverty is Sexist.

Louisville sophomore Andi Dahmer is a co-president for AID. She said it was the organization’s goal to collect 35 to 50 letters while tabling the first night last week. On March 1, the letters will be delivered to Rand Paul’s office by members of AID, as part of International Women’s Day which is March 8.

According to the ONE website, 130 million girls are not in school.

“All children deserve a good education, but in the poorest countries girls are denied it more often the boys,” the campaign site reads. “Education is vital for moving out of poverty.”

Amanda Collins, internal correspondence chair for AID, said the group hopes to promote advocacy and educate the WKU community about women’s poverty and education.

“A lot of people don’t know,” Collins said. “They don’t know the facts.”

Dahmer said AID will continue tabling around campus until spring break for this campaign. Before spring break, they group will receive another initiative, and focus on that campaign for the rest of the semester. Additionally, Dahmer said that at the end of February, members of AID will be attending a conference in Washington, D.C., meeting with U.S. senators and discussing the organization’s initiatives.

Dahmer said the initiatives and campaigns for AID are chosen by ONE. Previously, Dahmer said AID had worked on initiatives focused on ending AIDS and AIDS prevention. 

“We partnered with them because of issues like these,” Dahmer said of ONE.

 Reporter Monica Kast can be reached at (270) 745-0655 or [email protected].