By Sher Betz | Co-Founder Les Amis de Hampate Ba
A BIT OF HISTORY
10 years ago…
In 2012, an innovative Girl Empowerment Program was put in place at Hampaté Bâ Middle School by our Association with activities focused specifically on our underprivileged girls to give them chances for gender equality. One of these activities was a new computer training program. Most of the girls were 12 years old at the time and just starting Middle School.
We wanted girls at our school to become life-long learners with the capacity to be top academic and social achievers and confident and active members of society. We believed that for meaningful transformation of gender relations to come about, girls needed to participate in efforts to eliminate the discrimination and inequalities they face within their schools and communities in Niger. And this is precisely what the new Girl Empowerment project enabled the young girls at Amadou Hampaté Bâ School to do.
To begin with, we thought that just knowing how to use basic skills on a computer would be enough to improve the girls' capacities in their civic life as well as in their future professional life. So we set up a computer room equipped with 20 computers and with a trained computer teacher. Outside of the school classroom, few computers were available in homes and so students used internet cafés for internet connexions when necessary.
AND NOW …. TODAY !
10 years later …….
In 2022-2023, to our great surprise, we have gone from 7 scholarship girls to 55 scholarship girls. The 7 girls who started with the new computer project back in 2012 all succeeded their Baccalauréat and are now 22 - 23 years old and are in higher education universities, technological institutes and medical training institutes.
Little could we have guessed that a computer would no longer be just an option… it is an absolute MUST for university and higher education students in Niamey to each have their own computer to do homework and study for exams (as can be seen in attached photo, each student has his own computer). We were shocked the day that a student in Medical studies asked us if she could possibly have a computer in order to receive the class assignments and the anatomical drawings passed through to the students for homework. We were lucky to have the Rotary Club who purchased computers for our scholarship girls in health institutes, law studies, and technological studies.
A NEED FOR COMPUTERS, YES, AND EVEN MORE !
Next in line as a requirement, in higher education, is to be able to exchange and share information, which is extremely difficult in Niamey where access to internet is not often available and when it is, it provides only low through-put. So the turn around for this lack of connectivity is the use of USB keys. Although not very safe, they are a must-have to be able to get and share information. The uses for this key are numerous, as witnessed by interviews with our girls . Have a look!
Karima :” In my medical studies, for my Master’s diploma, my professors need to pass documents, pdf’s, schemas and photos of anatomy to us every day. I need a key with a big memory capacity for this.”
Halimata : I’m preparing to give my power point presentation with many photos before the jury for my Bachelor’s degree and I really need a USB key to put my presentation on the school’s server in order to make the projection.”
Roumanatou : “For my law studies, I need a USB key to transfer my law courses which are very voluminous to my computer. It is absolutely indispensable for my International Humanitarian Law Master’s Degree. I cannot do my work without a key with a large memory capacity”.
Mariama :” For my major in computer studies, I need a USB key for EVERYTHING !”
As you can imagine, we procured some high quality USB keys that had a large memory capacity, and distributed them to the girls who had a need for them in their studies. The same young girls entering 6th grade in 2012 who have now become young women, treat a USB key as a coveted treasure ! You can witness their joy and delight by looking at the attached photos.
THANK YOU for your donations which have helped these girls immensely. By giving adolescent girls the tools they needed to improve their own lives, and by engaging them in efforts to uplift their communities, we are promoting the progress of the entire society. Our project puts girls first due to their special responsibility to pass on knowledge to future generations. Alumni from Hampaté Bâ can attest to the fact that the scholarships offered to them allowing them to receive a quality education have enormously helped improve their well-being as well as that of their families. Your recurring donations make all the difference. We still need your continued support for new girls entering 6th grade, so they will have the same opportunities as the Alumni. The Girl Empowerment Project has indeed given them the chance to avoid early marriages, break the poverty cycle & continue their studies leading to interesting job opportunities. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping these girls to get a better future !!!
By Sher Betz | Co-founder Les Amis de Hampate Ba
By Sher Betz | Co-founder Les Amis de Hampate Ba
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