Why Young Girls Will Remain Illiterate

The other day I was talking to the mudir (director) of the elementary school in my town about my health lessons but my mind kept drifting to the young uneducated girls in my town. My mudir wants to make sure that my lessons make a lasting impact on the children here. He wants for kids in the future to know that an American taught health lessons in Tamazight at the madrasa (school). He was offering suggestions for how I could improve the lessons; even suggesting that I somehow acquire a microsope to have the children look at microbes. He also wants me to bring American elementary school kids to my town that a cultural dialogue can exist between moroccan bled (countryside) children ans american children. I don't disagree that this is a good idea but really how would I ever accomplish this? Also, how will the children communicate with each other seeing as they have no common language? Before I left our meeting he mentioned that on the 30th of june they're having a little celebration for the 6th graders who will have finished school. I left the school feeling both satisfied and saddened all at once. I felt satisfied because I know that the mudir fully supports what I'm doing at the school; which is incredible considering how little support most volunteers get. I felt sad because I know that now that they've finished 6th grade, only a fraction of those kids will continue on to secondary school and most of those continuing wil be boys.
We don't have a secondary school in my town, only a few elementary schools. The secondary school is in the next town (6km) so many parents are weary about letting young girls continue with their education. I mean, really, they're more useful at home making bread rught? Not! Its sad to see so many girls stop school after the 6th grade, but its even sadder to see young girls never go to school. Its understandable why most of the older women of my town are illiterate; there weren't as many schools when they were growing up and the town was much more conservative. Now younger girls teach most of these older women to read and write. But there are still many young girls who are illiterate. Just in the alley in which I live, there are two girls less that 10 years old who are running errands all day long. Occasionally I see them play with other kids their age but usually they are going to buy something at the store or fetching water. I constantly here "zineb, zineb!" because they want her to go do something else for them. Also, my host sister in homestay was illiterate. She didn't even know how to tell time so she was constantly asking me to tell time. I think what happens is that the youngest daughter is made to stay home and care for the parents. In my host family, my host mom works all day at the weaving cooperative so my sister does the cooking, cleaning, field work and whatever else needs doing. This youngest daughter thing is a trend that I have started to notice in my town. :( There is however one woman who has started to teach some young girls how to read and write but its only a few lessons a week for an hour or two, basically when she and the girls aren't busy with other work. I really hope that we can do something in town so that more young girls will enjoy the benefit of literacy.