Fund Study Camps for 35 Students in Tanzania

Dear Girls Ed Supporters,

For our first report on our new campaign to fund post-secondary education for the young women who were accepted into high schools or vocational programs, we'd like to share the story of Bernadeta. 

Lucas is the Tanzanian project manager of Project Wezesha and Girls Education International.  He conducted and recorded the following conversation with Girls Education International participant Bernadeta.  Then he transcribed and translated the interview from Swahili and English. To improve readability for native English speakers, it was edited by Kate, former Project Wezesha volunteer and current Girls Education International board member.

From Lucas:

This month I visited Bernadeta’s home to see how she is doing now.  When I arrived to her home, she was not at home. I asked her younger brother who was home (where she was).  He told me that Bernadetaa went to the farm with their parents. I requested for him to take me to the farm. He agreed.  We walked for one hour from home to their farm. The following I saw, I confirmed, and I asked also to record it. -Lucas*

In Bernadeta's words:

My name is Bernadeta.  I am a young girl. I am 18 years old. I was born on March 6, 2001. My father and my mother had 12 children.  Five passed away; two because of malaria and three because of maupele (worms) because there was no money to take them to treatment.  Seven children remain alive. I am the 9th child, and I am the only one who attends secondary school in my family with 12 children.

I started primary school without shoes. I got shoes when I was in standard six. One of my classmates, and she was my best friend, got shoes from one man. After a short time, she got pregnant and she stopped school. I asked my father and my mother why her parents did not take him to the police. My parents did not answer me.  When we entered standard seven, two girls from my neighborhood, who were younger than I, got pregnant and the men who got them pregnant are still in the village. No one helped them (the girls) or took care of the girls.

I cried all day. I asked my father.  My father told me that not only that girl and the neighbors, but there are so many girls who got pregnant: more than 12 in this village. I asked my father, “Any punishment?” He respond to me that they are afraid of the conflict. I told my father that if I pass my primary examination,  I will study the subject which would allow me to fight against bad men and bad boys to (help) woman and girls.

After a short time, my results came out. I saw my father was angry. I asked my mother.  She told me, “He is angry because you passed the examination.” For me, I was very happy to pass.  I was happy while father was angry. Why? Because there was no money. I was very happy because of my plan to help the girls and woman who get pregnant in this village. No punishment is still in my head.

My father started to crack palm seeds and sell it so that he could pay for the uniform, shoes, fees, books, and pen when I started secondary school in Mkongoro Secondary School.  I studied hard when I entered Form II. I got the biggest chance when I was chosen to be a one of students for Girls Education International through Project Wezesha. From that day, I saw my light: for me to be a lawyer.

I attended all of the study camps and I got more experience until I finished secondary school last year in 2018. I passed the exam to join high school but the government school did not choose me because of the lack of the number of high schools. My life at home: I go to the farm with my father and my mother. I go to help the activities at the farm every day.

Brother Lucas who is the manager for Girls Education International and Project Wezesha here Tanzania is visiting me today at the farm.  He came with my younger brother. I got into a good school which they are willing to allow me to join for high school. It is a private school, so I can meet my dream. High school here only takes two years.

So, anyone, please help me.

-------------------

From Lucas:

Bernadeta is from Mkongoro Village. She needs USD 740 per year which will be cover everything: School fee, books, uniform, shoes, and all materials in school.* I talked with her almost one hour at the farm after taking a picture with her parents.

*The fact that Bernadeta was accepted into high school is a testament to her determination and potential. Of note is that government high schools in Tanzania are more competitive and prestigious than private high schools.  Thus, her plea for help to attend a private school is not what some may assume. She is not asking for a luxurious experience. Her performance on seconday school exit exams only qualified her for private high school where she will receive the support she needs to succeed. Her humble request of $740 USD would cover all school fees, books, uniforms, shoes, school supplies, and room and board for an entire school year.  As high school in Tanzania is only two years, $1,580 would pay for her entire high school education. Please consider donating to support her education. Empowering her has the potential to improve the lives of many girls and women in her village.

Please let us know if you would like to sponsor Bernadeta for one or both of her high school years. Otherwise, please consider chipping in to this campaign so we can do our best to fund her request and help her reach her goals!

Asante sana,

The Girls Ed Team
info@girlsed.org 

Dear Girls Ed and Project Wezesha Supporters,

We're happy to bring you an update on our recent December study camp. It was such a pleasure to be part of it with my friends and Girls Ed supporters, Shelly (from Utah) and Patsy & Katia (from Minnesota).

Many of you contributed to this cause because you are friends, family or fans of the amazing Patsy! We are so grateful to Patsy for her fundraising efforts leading up to this camp. Because so many of you responded to her invitation, this entire camp was fully funded.

It was a small measure of gratitude to be able to share several Tanzanian experiences with her on this trip. Patsy has been supporting our work for years and it was profoundly meaningful to introduce her and her daughter Katia to our students, friends and partners in Kigoma. As you might have guessed, everyone loved them so much! 

We were able to offer our signature rigorous study camp to a cohort of 12 students who are entering their final year of secondary school this month, as well as a group of 7 students who sought to continue improving their English for success in their teacher-education programs!

For this 4-week study camp, you contributed to the salaries of the 8 teachers (see photo) who taught daily to deliver content in the secondary students' core subjects, including History, English, Kiswahili, Biology, Physics, and Math. These teachers are regular teachers at our host school - Kichangachui Secondary School. They bring exceptional teaching methods and resources that our students don't often encounter in their village schools - such as science labs and textbooks.

During the camp, our students live on site in dorms -- thanks to you, we were able to cover Mama Amina's salary. She is on site all month as our cook and the matron who stays with the girls. They rely so much on her for their physical and emotional wellbeing. We also had a chance to visit the girls in their dorms, where they happy to give us a tour and show us their approach to making friendship bracelets.

We had a great Christmas celebration with a feast prepared by Mama Amina and some of the students, followed by a trip to the lake shore where students enjoyed soda (a special event drink) and dancing. We all had a blast! We also organized a special event to honor Patsy and Shelly for their contributions to Girls Ed and Project Wezesha over the years. There was an amazing feast again, plus speeches, songs, dance, and even a skit about the inequalities between girl and boy students.

Starting this month, 12 of these students begin Form 4 -- their last year of secondary school. They will participate in one final study camp in June and then take the national examinations that determine if they go on to high school in 2020. Evidence over the past 3 years during which we've offered study camps shows that these camps make all the difference for students attending under-resourced government schools in this region -- higher class rank, increased rates of success on national exams, higher likelihood of being admitted to high school, and improved English proficiency. Just this week, we received the results from our recent Form 4 grads' national exams. We are so delighted to see how many of our girls will be going on to high school!

Thank you for being part of this tremendous impact! We'd love to have your continued support. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and learn more about what we do in Tanzania and Pakistan on our website. Let your friends know about us and how they can support our work. 

You can contribute to this campaign in the coming months to help us fund our June 2019 camp. If you’d like to contribute in other ways, we’d love your support as we strive to cover the fees of our girls moving into post-secondary studies (e.g., high school, vocational school, certificate programs). Send us an email to find out more: info@girlsed.org.

Thank you so much for your support!

Sincerely,

Rai Farrelly
& the Girls Ed Team 

Links:

• Interview with Girls Ed Student