We're happy to bring you an update on our recent December study camp. It was such a pleasure to be part of it with my friends and Girls Ed supporters, Shelly (from Utah) and Patsy & Katia (from Minnesota).
Rai, Shelly, Asha, Patsy and Katia
Shelly and Patsy have been long time supporters of our partner organization, Project Wezesha and by default - Girls Ed. It was a small measure of gratitude to be able to share several Tanzanian experiences with them on this trip. As you might have guessed, everyone loved them so much!
In December, we were able to offer our signature rigorous study camp to a cohort of 12 students who are entering their final year of secondary school this month, as well as a group of 7 students who sought to continue improving their English for success in their teacher-education programs!
For this 4-week study camp, supporters contributed to the salaries of the 8 teachers who taught daily to deliver content in the secondary students' core subjects, including History, English, Kiswahili, Biology, Physics, and Math. These teachers are regular teachers at our host school - Kichangachui Secondary School. They bring exceptional teaching methods and resources that our students don't often encounter in their village schools - such as science labs and textbooks.
Some of our Kichangachui Study Camp Teachers
During the camp, our students live on site in dorms -- thanks to you, we were able to cover Mama Amina's salary. She is on site all month as our cook and the matron who stays with the girls. They rely so much on her for their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Mama Amina preparing food
We also had a chance to visit the girls in their dorms, where they happy to give us a tour and show us their approach to making friendship bracelets.
Shelly gets a lesson on bracelet making
We had a great Christmas celebration with a feast prepared by Mama Amina and some of the students, followed by a trip to the lake shore where students enjoyed soda (a special event drink) and dancing. We all had a blast!
Katia and Zuwena Dancing
We also organized a special event to honor Patsy and Shelly for their contributions to Girls Ed and Project Wezesha over the years. There was an amazing feast again, plus speeches, songs, dance, and even a skit about the inequalities between girl and boy students.
Girls Ed and Project Wezesha student reunion and donor appreciation party!
Starting this month, 12 of these students begin Form 4 -- their last year of secondary school. They will participate in one final study camp in June and then take the national examinations that determine if they go on to high school in 2020. Evidence over the past 3 years during which we've offered study camps shows that these camps make all the difference for students attending under-resourced government schools in this region -- higher class rank, increased rates of success on national exams, higher likelihood of being admitted to high school, and improved English proficiency.
Just this week, we received the results from our recent Form 4 grads' national exams. We are so delighted to see how many of our girls will be going on to high school!
Recent Form 4 Grads — Ready for the next phase!
Thank you for everything you’ve done to help us keep our girls in school, striving toward their dreams! Make sure to follow us on Facebook!