By Susan Pasley | Communications Coordinator
In Mauritania, young women and girls can face particular challenges. Child marriage is one, with 2018 statistics from UNICEF indicating that 37% of the country’s girls are married before age 18, and 18% before age 15. Access to formal education can also be limited, and the rate of illiteracy is high among women, with a reported literacy rate of only 42%. MindLeaps is working in Mauritania to help girls develop the critical skills they need to succeed and make positive choices in their lives.
In Mauritania, the path to school through MindLeaps begins with our Catch-up Program for school-age girls who have had little or no formal education. This program includes our dance classes structured to develop cognitive skills and social-emotional learning, as well as catch-up classes in Arabic, French and Math. After completing the program, the girls are assisted with enrollment in the formal school system, where we sponsor them. MindLeaps is currently sponsoring the education of 88 girls in primary and secondary schools. For these students, MindLeaps covers costs that could otherwise be a barrier to entering school – books, school supplies, and clothing for sports activities. We further support our girls in school with tutoring in preparation for primary and secondary school exams.
Our education initiatives also go beyond the girls we are supporting academically. For older girls, generally aged 16-25, we offer a three-part program of Dance and IT/Digital Literacy Training, both through MindLeaps, and Vocational Training in conjunction with our local partner, SOS Pairs Educateurs. We currently have a cohort of 60 girls enrolled in the program. In the Vocational Training component, girls and young women are acquiring professional skills in hairdressing, make-up, and tailoring. After completing their training program, they will be placed in internships in their field, in convenient locations near their homes.
Through education and training, MindLeaps is helping girls and young women in Mauritania to develop vital skills and build a foundation for self-reliance, both for themselves and their families.
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