The Kickoff of Our New Literacy Initiative
The Importance of Literacy
In rural Mozambique, over 70% of women are illiterate. (Source: USAID) Without the ability to read or write, a woman cannot effectively communicate or interact with the world around her. For this reason, Kurandza places great value on early literacy and emphasizes building foundational skills for each of the girls in our education program. This is the first step in allowing girls to be who and what they want to be as adults.
Our Solution
During the last week of July 2021, Kurandza launched a new literacy initiative aimed at helping the girls in our program make up for lost learning time due to the pandemic. To kick it off, our entire on-the-ground team participated in a 5-day workshop to evaluate each girls’ ability to write and write. The program officially launched on July 26th and has begun to provide students with the skills and resources they need to successfully meet (and hopefully surpass!) the national standard for each level.
Our new Educational Programs Assistant and resident Portuguese Teacher, Mónica, taught weekly literacy sessions to all of the primary and secondary school students at our Chivonguene site. The curriculum of the literacy program focuses on assessing and strengthening the girls’ reading and writing skills through laser-focused, individualized instruction.
Mónica is in the process of working with our Head of Impact, Roda, to create a book of literary texts based on local fables and legends of the Changana culture. These stories are familiar to the girls because they have heard them from family members in their native tongue, and now they will be hearing the same stories in Portuguese to better learn the national language. Mónica will read these various stories and local legends with the students, then play games to reinforce what they’ve learned in a fun, interactive way.
Covid-19 Safety Measures
With a recent Covid-19 spike in Mozambique, we took several precautionary measures to keep everyone safe and healthy. Both the facilitators and the girls wore masks, and the workshops were conducted outdoors for proper social distancing. Each day, we hosted 3-4 sessions hosted with only 10-15 girls in each based on their grade and where they live.
Next Steps
The kickoff session has already made a big impact and it’s been such a joy to see how quickly the girls are picking back up! However, we know that true retention takes time, so ongoing sessions will be needed. We’ll provide the girls with continual support through the end of the school year and into next year, too, to supplement what they are learning and make sure it sticks.
Thank you
Illiteracy is an urgent issue for the communities we serve, but with your help, we’re taking action to tackle it. Because of your love and support, 200+ more girls will have the ability to read, write, and be a fully engaged member of their society as an adult. Thank you for believing in the power of girls’ education and helping us co-create a better world for women everywhere.
“We would like to thank immensely everyone who made this possible. We are realizing that being here with the girls is somehow changing something in our outlook, and hopefully the outlook of the girls.”
Investing in a girls’ future is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Join the movement and help change a life forever today!