Dear Girls Ed Supporters,
We are thrilled about the size of our newest cohort of high school students. It is the largest group of young women supported by Girls Ed to pass national exams and qualify for entrance into Form 6. Thank you so much for your support in making it possible for them to pursue post-secondary education!
This group picture was taken outside of the Project Wezesha office in Kigoma, Tanzania the day the Girls Education International participant came to pick up their school supplies as they prepare for their first year of high school. This is a group of students supported through both Girls Education International and our partner, Project Wezesha.
In the picture, from left to right, including the student’s high school’s course of study:
Sarafina chemistry, biology, and geography
Sania history, Swahili, and English language
Saiditi, chemistry, biology, and geography
Remence chemistry, biology, and geography
Sadija history, Swahili, and English
Hadija history, geography, and English language
Marselina history, geography, and English language
Hekima history, geography, and English language
Mayani chemistry, biology, and geography
Three participants are not pictured:
Bernadeta history, geography, and English language
Secila history, geography, and English language
Hamisi physics, chemistry, and biology
Celebrating Remence -- an Aspiring Doctor!
Remence was welcomed as a Girls Education International participant in 2014. Since then, she has attended four study camps where she actively participated and engaged in learning opportunities with her peers. Upon completing Form 4 at Mungonya Secondary School, Remence passed the 2019 Tanzanian national exams, earning the second highest division possible. As a result, Remence will attend high school where she will study chemistry, biology, and geography. This course of study is intended to be the foundation upon which she will pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
In class, Remence is a chatterbox, participating when she’s confident in her answer and taking guesses when she’s unsure. She volunteers to lead classroom debates and happily assumes the lead role when the class is reading a play aloud. She is friendly to all around her. She is the first to engage in conversation with classroom visitors and can be seen from across the school yard as a result of her always present ear-to-ear smile. She is dedicated to her studies and determined to become a doctor.
Her work ethic and intellectual capacity are outstanding, however, in the context of her life, it becomes increasingly evident that Remence is indeed a remarkable young woman. Remence is an orphan. She lost both of her parents to HIV-AIDS. She lives with her aunt and grandmother, both of whom are not formally educated and therefore are unable to help Remence navigate the school system. On a home visit during which Girls Education International staff conducted interviews with participants’ guardians, Remence’s family was not interested in supporting her schooling. Consequently, Remence relies heavily on her intrinsic motivations and guidance from Girls Education International staff.
We are humbled to know that Remence and students like her have access to education that would otherwise be inaccessible because of Girls Education International and its supporters. We wish all of our new high school students luck as they begin the next phase of their academic careers.
International Day of the Girl Child
Please stay tuned to learn more about programs Girls Education International will be offering in honor of the International Day of the Girl Child, October 11, 2019.
Please share this update with your network -- your friends, family, students, and colleagues. The more support these young women have, the more they will be able to accomplish in the long run. "Invest in a Girl, Change the World."
With gratitude,
Kate Schelbe
& The Girls Ed Team