Empower girls in Niger for change via education

May 13th was the national day to specifically celebrate girls and women in Niger. It was a happy day ! But what was there to celebrate ?

Things are changing in Niger !

In spite of Niger being one of the 5 poorest countries in the world, Nigerien girls and women are on their road towards autonomy : thinking independently and meeting the global challenges of our times. That is such a good sign and certainly an excellent reason to celebrate ! 

How are we contributing to girls acquiring this autonomy ? 

At Hampate Ba School, we believe in the potential of our girl students . We promote gender equality with 50% of the students  admitted, being girls. With your help, over the last 10 years, we have been funding full scholarships for those girls who would not be able to attend Middle and High School due to the low income of their parents. We don’t want to refuse any girl who qualifies for entrance to Hampate Ba School due to her financial problems. We also want to avoid drop-outs and keep the girls in school by funding scholarships. We believe quality education is essential to protect girls from early marriages and to break the poverty cycle.

We promote the autonomy of our girl students and empower them through different innovative programs with remarkable results.   

What are some of these Empowerment Projects ? 

• Media Room for access to library books

• ICT Tools in afterschool computer club to keep up to date in new skills 

• Managing Lunch Meals for health and diet awareness

• Danse classes to improve body exercises and energy 

• Art classes for cultural awareness and spatial concepts 

All these projects develop human values and skills in critical thinking and decision making. They expand knowledge and strengthen the girls’ confidence to improve the well-being of entire families and communities,  while fighting gender bias.  Benefits gained: later marriage, better dietary and sanitary conditions, improved child care and resistance against radicalism of any kind.

Impact of Empowerment Projects

We are happy to say that during our recent trip to Niamey in April 2019, we  actually witnessed these programs and the progress the girls have made during the last year.  What a change ! Their positive attitude and self-esteem is show-casing their evolution and their will to learn .  

« Through taking initiative to define lunch menus, we have acquired understanding of concepts, skills, and qualities needed to advance social change and promote health in our communities and we are really proud ! » comments Mariama.

«  We love to work afterschool in the computer room to do research, and to learn new skills, but also to keep cool, since it is the only classroom with air conditioning, that makes studying possible in 45 degree weather.» admits Fatouma.

«  Our group of girls who work on art projects with the boys are so happy that we are accepted by the boys, who have realized that we are talented and creative, and they are happy to construct 3 dimensional objects with us. » proudly admits Oumoulkoum

Thanks for making a difference

Our projects put girls first due to their special responsibility to pass on knowledge to future generations. By giving adolescent girls the tools they need to improve their own lives, we are giving them a chance for a better future for themselves and their families. We need your continued donations to support these life-changing projects. You can be part of the change and make a difference in a girl’s life. Thank you for your generosity.

We are happy to announce that 2019 has brought with it new opportunities for girls at Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey. Our innovative « Girl Empowerment for Change » project is picking up speed and is helping low-income adolescent girls to get more than just an academic basis. The after-school Gender Club expands knowledge and lets girls gain an understanding of concepts, skills, attitudes and qualities needed to become agents of effective social change locally and globally.

Our charity « Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ »  is helping girls stay in school through scholarships. Additionally, our Empowerment Projects help our girls access human values and skills in critical thinking and decision making. Initiation of a Gender Club is helping to promote gender equality through various activities. One of the girls’ favorite activities is art projects.  The girls love their art club, as it enhances their appreciation of artwork as well as giving them practical skills and opening their minds to new knowledge. 

As Farida remarked, « We not only painted drawings of pyramids and learned techniques of painting, but we also learned about ancient Egyptian history. This was a fun activity and I loved learning about history this way. »

« I liked cutting leaves out of paper and painting them green. We are used to desert vegetation in Niger, so to construct trees with leaves helped me learn about vegetation and seasons in other countries and also how to construct an object out of paper. This was really exciting », commented Oumoulkhaire.

«  Constructing an airplane out of cardboard and garlands out of paper was an incredible experience.  It made me realize more about protecting our environment and how recycling material can be useful. » observed Aminatou.

Mr. Desire, the art teacher exclaimed : « I love art ! It is my life ! I am so happy to share my passion with the students and they enjoy working together on projects. Our last art projects were done outside in the open air, and the girls loved having class outside of the classroom. It was really interesting. » 

Mr Desire’s art projects are real eye-openers for the girls. This year started with a project based around ancient Egypt : drawings of the pyramids and the Nile River and construction of a mask of a pharaoh. This was a history/geography class as well as an art activity !  As for art knowledge, the girls learned about realizing objects with a volume, and drawing pyramids in 2D. They also gained knowledge on the notions of triangles, of vertical and horizontal lines, and of perspective. 

Another intriguing project for the girls was making green leaves out of paper, cutting them out, painting them ,and putting them together with glue and wires to make a tree, showing the girls how to transform recycled objects into other objects to be re-utilized in a different way. The girls learned how to fabricate objects in 3 dimensions with recuperated material like plastic, metal,  cardboard and paper.  They became familiar working with adhesive tape, wire, cords, and paint. They became aware, in this way, that each one of them should take steps to protect the environment. Mr. Desire definitely knows how to motivate the girls and give them confidence in themselves through new knowledge, new skills and new awareness.

We could not continue to offer these amazing art projects for these young girls without your generosity. Your donations help them stay in school and avoid early marriages.

All amounts are welcome, and every bit helps. We would be grateful if you could contribute to the purchase of art supplies or help us pay scholarships for girls whose families could not afford an education without our help. Be the change. Help us make a difference!  Thank you so much.