In Asia and the Pacific, less than half the countries with data available achieve gender parity at primary school level, a ratio that worsens at secondary and tertiary levels of education (UNESCO, 2009). Girls make up the majority of out-of-school children. Of the adult illiterates worldwide, two-thirds live in Asia and the Pacific, of which the majority are adult women. There is, moreover, a strong relationship between poverty and gender inequality in education, which is particularly pronounced for girls born into the poorest communities. Donnelly (2008, p. 389) notes that, in the context of sport for development and peace, “poverty is the single greatest barrier to participation”, while Right To Play (2008, p. 129) argue “education is the single most powerful means for families to escape poverty over the longer term”.