By Sonia Omar | CEO
We are so proud of the 30 EFA students who passed their Baccalaureate this year! This was a particularly tough time as the girls who sat these exams had their most important last two years disrupted by the pandemic.
Luckily, they had working computers, tablets and lots of internet to help them catch up when lessons were cancelled or teachers were off sick with covid. This included being able to watch back the online lessons posted by teachers during the lock-down.
These are girls who had under-resourced primary school education and didn't even use a computer until they came to the EFA houses at 12 years old. And if it hadn't been for the EFA houses, they would have missed school altogether. Life throws so many obstacles at them but they are resilient!
They have always surpassed our expectations. Where the national average for the whole of Morocco is 60% for the Baccalaureate, we still see higher pass rates in our small community of rural girls; this year at 86% and probably higher after the retakes at the end of the month.
When I visited the girls last month (my first trip back since the global lock-down) I was so heartened to see them using the computers to connect with volunteers helping them with their French or Math, or using them do their own group- study after school. Having tablets meant that, when the 10 computers were already being used, there was always a space in the garden or in the dorm to take their extra lessons with them.
"I love to be able to watch the study videos and rewind to the parts I didn't get in lesson-time. I'm sure I passed my exams thanks to these tablets!"- Khadija in the image below
I am convinced that these digital tools- and their growing confidence in using them- has made all the difference in plugging the gaps left by the pandemic, ensuring that they can pursue their dreams of University education or, at least, having Baccalaureate certificates for better jobs or future studies. Zahra (pictured below) is now a primary school teacher in her village- a great example of the cycle of empowerment which education brings.
Thank you all for supporting this project and the girls who are benefitting from 21st century skills AND the devices that bring those skills alive. We wish them- and all of you- a great Summer!
Warm wishes
Sonia Omar
CEO
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By Sonia Omar | Fundraising and Communications Manager
By Sonia Omar | Fundraising and Communications Manager
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