They might be Georgia's youngest lobbyists, but they got an audience with some of Washington's biggest powerbrokers Tuesday to press for more money to educate children in the world's poorest countries.

Jordan Terry, 15, and Saydeh Asghar, 17, live a world away from places in Sub-Saharan Africa where few children have access to school let alone books.

Rick McCay/Cox (ENLARGE)

Atlanta students Jordan Terry (left) and Saydeh Asghar from Westlake High School in Atlanta, lobby Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., in an effort to raise awareness for the bipartisan Education for All Act of 2007.

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But the Westlake High School students are determined to help focus the spotlight on the fact that 77 million children of primary school age are not in school and some 226 million secondary school aged children are also denied an education.

Terry and Asghar joined over 50 other teenagers from across the country and international superstar Shakira on Capitol Hill to seek support for legislation that would provide federal funding to help educate those children.

"It is a silent issue that doesn't get a lot of media attention," Terry said.

At a time when global welfare concerns are trained on the food shortage, Terry and Asghar argue that education is an overlooked yet crucial facet of world poverty. Despite their relatively comfortable upbringing in Atlanta, they said, motivation for their advocacy work on poverty and education came easily.

"Coming from Pakistan, if you go anywhere, you will always see some child out on the street wearing just a piece of clothing and walking around, it's heart wrenching," said Asghar, who immigrated from Pakistan at age 4. "I definitely relate to that."

"We know that we should all be doing more about making sure every child in the world receives a basic quality education," Shakira said on a conference call with reporters. "I know this is a challenge, but it's a historic opportunity for all of us. We know how to address this—it is within our reach and we can truly be the architects of change and be the first generation in human history to bring education to all children so that no child is left behind."

The WestLake High duo met with Georgia Republican Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson to urge their support for the legislation.

"Looking around even in our own city of Atlanta, we have issues," Terry said. "This money that we're looking for, it's not just going overseas but to our country and our cities too."

Both senators listened intently and promised that they would consider the bill.

As part of Westlake's "human rights" curriculum, the students had read in class and discussed the worldwide situation of poverty. Candice Harris, their teacher affiliated with Teach for America, said many of her students were surprised to learn that free public schools like Westlake in southwest Atlanta are hardly universal institutions.

As part of an exchange opportunity facilitated by several non-profit organizations, the 50 students also met some peers from Palestine and Afghanistan on their first visit to the United States.

The students will attend the Democratic National Convention in Colorado in August as part of the Global Campaign for Education, a coalition of organizations from 120 countries that focuses on providing basic education to the world's poorest nations.

Asghar, a junior, said she had considered becoming a doctor before joining the Global Campaign for Education. Now she wants to go to law school, and possibly join the ranks of Washington lobbyists advocating for non-profit organizations.

Terry said he intends to enter law school as well.

Look out K Street.