Empower girls in Niger for change via education

Niger is a tough place for children to grow up, but it’s particularly challenging for girls, thousands of whom have seen their childhoods cut short by marriage – Niger has the highest rate of child marriage in the world : 76% before 18 years old.

One way to avoid early marriages is to help girls go to school and stay in school. Our organisation is constantly creating exciting opportunities for our young girl students at Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey, Niger. In addition to funding scholarships for academic studies , we also provide them with programs to learn and develop skills, therefore allowing them to prepare and succeed in future careers and meaningfully contribute to challenges across Africa.

We are very proud to share with you our latest girl empowerment projects , presenting innovative solutions and inspiring success stories ! 

TRAINING GIRLS IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

This project rocks!  It’s a two-fold ongoing project that has developed in stages over 10 years, aimed at improving the quality of education while also bridging the technology gap.

1. Promoting Numeracy and Literacy Skills through Digital Education

We implemented this after school project mainly for 6th graders entering middle school, enabling the students to further improve their basic numeracy and literacy competencies through interactive and fun material. It is very popular and has a high attendance rate, demonstrating student interest and engagement !

 "I never miss my after school computer classes on Tuesday afternoons. I quickly learned how to conjugate verbs. I now know how to conjugate the verb “to achieve” in the past, present and future times. Why the verb "to achieve"? Because I will be the one who will "achieve" and go to university," proudly says Haoua ,12 years old  

« Nassia’s progress is amazing. When she came in, her French was quite limited and within a few months she has managed to not only learn to communicate fluently but also excel in her class” the French teacher remarks. 

Mr. Kabirou, the computer teacher, has remarked : "With computers, the girls are much more engaged and motivated. Their performance has clearly improved. It is a playful approach and has brought a lot of change. It has even improved their communication and teamwork skills."

1. Computer Classes in Daily Curriculum : Teaching Students to become familiar with Essential Digital Tools and Basic Software Programs 

• Middle School : The younger students start by learning basic computer skills and how to use simple programs, like word processing.
• High School :  More Advanced classes learning to use a Spread Sheet like Excel, Tools for Presentations like Power Point,  and guide students towards finding information through internet. 
• Future projects currently in pilot stages : Classes to learn coding

With these skills, the girls can participate in day-to-day life and be integrated in the development and modernisation of Niger. The computer classes during and after school have definitely increased students’ passion for learning digital know-how. 

During our last trip to Niger,  as soon as we entered the computer classroom, we immediately felt the energy of the students. We are so exhilarated to see that our initiatives to explore new solutions through innovative projects have the potential of improving learning outcomes and positively impact even the most marginalized students. 

Our aim is to help girls for future jobs by teaching them digital technology in hopes of overcoming the many barriers for women’s access and use of technology in Niger. Despite the challenges, we continue our efforts because of the incredible opportunity that technology provides for girls. So far, the girls’ accomplishments are impressive and in view of their underprivileged background and the context of Niger, even astounding.

OFFERING  GIRLS  WORK EXPERIENCE IN TECHNICAL FIELDS 

During vacation time an amazing project popped up, offering a great opportunity to girl students at Hampaté Bâ High School .The project gave quite unexpected, yet positive results

Renovation and construction work was being done near the school and the contractors agreed to use the project to provide on-site training and employment opportunities for girl students at Hampaté Bâ High School. They would include at least 15% of girl students in the team. The internship was organized to last one month and the girls would be trained to actually help with specific tasks during the different stages of the construction.

To our surprise, 20 girls eagerly volunteered to follow this internship and were happy to actively participate. They were very inspired by what they learned and proud to receive diplomas at the end of the training. The contractors were amazed by the girls’ strong motivations: some of them wanted to become architects, some wanted to be painters, and some engineers. The training sparked an interest in each one. «  It was so important for me to have more notions about construction work. It gave me all kinds of ideas for my future « remarked Atika. «  It’s a great opportunity for me . Now I can imagine myself as a future architect. And when I see a house outside, I know how it was built ! » Exclaimed Aicha.

We wanted to awaken some of the girls to technical skills, to give them a taste for possible technical and scientific studies, to motivate them through a work experience in technical fields to consider careers such as engineering and architecture or project management. Opportunities like this give girls a chance to develop competencies and envisage ways to change their reality. We hope this will empower girls to lead independent lives

And why not? After all, half of the population in Africa in feminine. Including women in the work force is essential.

Despite the prevailing stereotypes and the social pressure, we are trying to give our girl students opportunities to breakdown barriers every day that prevent girls from accessing and benefiting from technology.  Whatever their level, the goal is for them to acquire knowledge and experience to be able have an activity leading to a decent salary and a career.

Helping today’s talented young girls will benefit tomorrow’s society. Thank you all for your vital support of these amazing and courageous young  underprivileged girls who will hopefully leave a remarkable and uplifting  imprint on their community, on Africa and on the world.

October was a very happy time for our scholarship girls. It’s « Back to School » time !

Thanks to your donations to pay for their school fees, 33 jubilant girl students, old and new, will have the gift of an education at Hampaté Bâ Secondary school this year, rather than be obliged to stay at home doing housework or destined to the plight of an early marriage. In this article, we are focussing on the new girls.

Zoom on New Scholarship Recipients : This year we are proud to add 5 new underprivileged girls in Middle School at 6th grade level, some of whom are orphans and adopted by an aunt, uncle or grandparent. These particular girls would not have access to Middle School without our help, as the families cannot afford secondary education for them.  The girls were busy revising all summer as they were eager to be admitted to our innovative Hampaté Bâ School.  

How were the girls selected ? They passed an academic entrance test at the end of August. The school had to do quite a few batches of exams, since the level of those seeking admission was so low, that we had a hard time finding candidates with an adequate level. Many were not even able to copy a text or to write their name. After finding a small number of girls who passed the academic requirements, in September we called in an educational expert who interviewed each girl privately along with members of her family (who were all illiterate). We wanted to be sure of each girl’s capacities to express herself, her motivation and eagerness to learn, and the willingness of her family members to give moral support and to help with housework chores so the girls would have sufficient time for homework. The selection finally gave positive results and we were able to identify 5 highly motivated girls to whom we have granted scholarships.  We are proud to announce that after one month, these girls are already among the best in their classes, in all subjects ! That’s a great proof of what a difference encouragement and enthusiastic support can make !

Stories of Moms : We were very moved by the stories recounted by some of the mothers. 

« I was not able to stay in secondary school because my family had no money and girls didn’t matter. I had to drop out in 6th grade and was forced to marry at 12 years old. I regret it to this day. »

« I want a better life for my daughter, since I was sent to a family far from Niamey, as my parents had no money to keep me with them. Girls didn’t count. I never found a job and cannot offer today a decent life to Nassia » mentioned her mother.   

These mothers’ words inspire us and remind us that as much as possible, we must continue to provide quality educational opportunities to the many girls and young women who desire a better future for their families and their country. 

More than just School Fees : What are advantages to supporting  Scholarships for a girl at Hampate Ba School ? Many of these disadvantaged girls live too far from Hampate Ba School to walk. So we have decided that transport fees will be paid for by our donors. This helps them to get to school on time and be less fatigued for their school courses. In addition, the girls will have the advantage of optional art courses once a week after school to develop imagination and various spatial skills, also possible thanks to your donations.   We are able to offer computer classes and a well equipped Media Room also, which can give an advantage to our girls in landing a job later on. And finally, the girls will have the advantage of learning in smaller classes of 45 students, rather than the public school classes with 100 students per class (where learning does not take place).  

We saw the need in Niger first-hand during our trips. But here are the hard facts. Niger is one of, if not the poorest country in the world and only 9% of girls attend middle school and just 3% go on to high school. In Niger, approximately 65% of girls are married before the age of 18 and 1/3 before the age of 15. However, in girls who have a secondary education, only 18% marry before the age of 18.

HOPE    Our sincere hope is that these new girl students will learn at secondary  offers them many joys and academic growth at Hampaté Bâ School. 

Your continued support is needed and appreciated

Last year, as a result of your gifts to the scholarship fund for girls, around 30 girls were able to attend Hampaté Bâ Secondary School. Thank you !

This would not have been possible without your kind donations. Your gift of secondary school education to young underprivileged girls will have long-standing effects on the girl, her family, and her community. Keeping girls in school and building their skills reduces child marriage and also increases economic productivity,  We look forward to keeping you updated about the many ways your support is changing young girls’ lives in Niger. Thank you for your generosity and continued support.  All amounts are welcome. Every donation counts !