First Day Of School For Our 200 Sponsored Girls!
Last week, our girls at our partner schools in Mozambique had their first day of school. For many of the girls, it was their first day of school ever and they were so excited :) We want to share a quick recap of their first day of school so you can join in with the excitement and get to know the girls a little bit better!
This year, we have more than 200 children across our five partner schools - 153 girls in three different primary schools, close to 30 children (all of whom are orphans and unable to pay for tuition) at our private partner preschool, and 20 young girls at our partner secondary school. This is only our second year of this program and we are blown away by the number of girls we’re able to support!
During the first day of school, the girls receive their uniforms, backpacks, and school supplies, which is usually the most exciting part of the day! Then they get to meet the teachers and get to know their school!
Percina told us a lot about the first day, but there are a few girls in particular who stood out to her:
Sharon da Sara (one of our new first graders) initially didn’t want to go to school on the first day— she didn’t even want to go see what the school looked like. But once she received her brand new uniform and school supplies, she changed her mind and decided to participate in the first day of school! Percina said that she was so happy that she couldn’t wait to get to school.
One of our new secondary school students, Novilência (bottom right below), dropped out of school last year because she didn’t have the funds to pay for transportation to get to school. She was even looking for work at a local snack shop to try and pay for school, but thanks to our support, she was able to return to school and is very happy. She’s starting eighth grade this year (did you know that 8th grade is the first year of secondary school in Mozambique?)!
Dasdores (top left below) is another one of our new secondary school students. She thought that schooling for her would end with primary school and that she wasn’t smart enough to pass onto secondary school. But because of Kurandza’s support, she passed onto eighth grade and is able to start secondary school this year, which is a big dream for her!
The photos above are of some of our secondary school students. These students (along with some of the pre-schoolers who live far from the school) also have their transportation paid for— we have a “bus” come pick them up and take them over 10 miles to school each day. This allows them to have more time to finish all of their household chores and still get to study because they aren’t spending all of their time walking to school. Another benefit of having coordinated transportation is the safety aspect. Lately there has been an increase in crimes on the road to school, and because of our Kurandza sponsors, our girls are safe and secure!
Because of our sponsors’ support, we have more than doubled the number of preschoolers we have this year! Here are a few photos of some of the new children in our program.
Besides the academic knowledge that our girls are gaining through our program, these girls are building self-esteem, leadership abilities, and confidence. We aim to give our girls the knowledge that they have options in life and can dream for the future! With a basic grasp of education and life skills, our girls can grow into women that know their dreams can come true.
The first day of school was a huge win for us at Kurandza and it wouldn’t have happened without your support! We’ll be sharing updates throughout the year, so stay tuned. If you’re as inspired by the first day of school as we are, click here to learn about joining our cause and supporting our Holistic Education program, which teaches our girls skills they need to make their dreams come true.