Dear Girls Education International supporters,
Thank you for helping to give 47 girls in Bong and Margibi Counties, Liberia, a year of schooling!
Fundraising for this project has been slow so far, and we have had to pull funds from our general operating fund to make our first 2011 payment to our partner agency, Common Ground Society, this month.
Girls Ed has been funding education for these girls since 2008, and Common Ground Society reports that all 47 girls have remained enrolled in school and that a group of 10 high school seniors (who were sophomores when we started the scholarship program) will be graduating this spring. We are honored to be a part of these bright girls' lives!
In his end of year report to Girls Education International, Marvin Garbeh Davis, our project officer with Common Ground Society, described conditions in Liberia with regard to educating girls: "In Liberia there are many social, cultural and economic barriers to girls’ schooling, both for enrolling and staying in school. Parents see limited economic benefits to educating girls. Daughters attending school are less available to help with household chores and childcare for younger siblings. Cultural norms are that sons support parents in old age while girls marry out and leave their parents.
The issue of poverty is a major hindrance. Schooling usually involves substantial sums for fees, books, uniforms and transportation. When family resources are limited, parents usually give higher priority to sons. Decisions about schooling for girls are often influenced by social norms related to sexuality and marriage. In traditional societies where chastity is highly valued, parents may be reluctant to allow girls to travel to school and be taught by male teachers. "
Marvin's report reminds me of why we believe that Girls Ed has a unique program service model with great potential for success - we partner with local organizations that already work in the regions we serve. These local organizations already have relationships and infrastructure in the rural communities that allow us to maximize existing resources through strategic partnerships, while respecting existing culture and values. They understand the culture/politics and have staff available to mitigate any unforeseen challenges.
Thank you so much for continuing to provide support to our girls in Liberia and giving them this opportunity to continue their education!
By Therese Thompson - Executive Director
Dear Girls Education International supporters,
Thank you for helping to give 30 girls in Laphi and Sar Kalan books, uniforms, and transportation to attend school at Government Secondary School Buchal Kalan, district Chakwal, Pakistan!
Our partner agency, Bedari, reports that all 30 girls have remained enrolled in school and that the van hired to transport them to and from their villages and the school is running smoothly. Two girls, Sidra and Khadija, have passed their regular exams and have been promoted to the next class – class 10. The rest of the girls will be taking exams in March 2011.
Public schools in Pakistan are not good at organizing extracurricular activities, so Bedari has been holding a monthly meeting with all the 30 girls in the village. This meeting has two objectives:
In these meetings, the girls sing songs, share jokes, recite their favorite poetry etc. In the next year, Bedari wants to organize self-growth sessions for these girls to provide them training in basic life skills – communications skills, confidence building exercises, and an understating of gender issues.
Safeer Ullah Khan, our project officer with Bedari, described only one challenge in his recent project report to Girls Ed:
"We are having a difficult time getting progress reports from the school. The Head Teacher at the school has not been cooperating with Bedari staff. We have held meetings with the senior officials of the district education department, and have managed to get some information. However, it is still not easy to get progress reports from her.”
Safeer's report reminds me of why we believe that Girls Ed has a unique program service model with great potential for success - we partner with local organizations that already work in the regions we serve. These local organizations already have relationships and infrastructure in the rural communities that allow us to maximize existing resources through strategic partnerships, while respecting existing culture and values. They understand the culture/politics and have staff available to mitigate any unforeseen challenges. We are confident that the challenge in obtaining progress reports will improve as Bedari’s staff builds trust with the school administrators and they see the benefits of the program.
Thank you so much for continuing to provide support to our girls in Pakistan and giving them this opportunity to continue their education!
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Dear Girls Education International supporters,
Thank you for helping to give 30 girls in Laphi and Sarkalan books, uniforms, and transportation to attend school at Government Secondary School Buchal Kalan, district Chakwal, Pakistan!
Our partner agency, Bedari, reports that the girls have been successfully enrolled in school and Bedari has purchased and provided them with their uniforms, shoes, and books. Bedari has also hired a wagon to provide pick up and drop off service for the girls between school and their homes. The girls are attending their classes and are very happy to have restarted their studies.
Safeer Ullah Khan, our project officer with Bedari, reminds us in his report to Girls Ed of the challenges faced in convincing the parents of some of the girls to allow them to receive support:
"Sharing this project with the parents of the identified girls was a challenging job, as girls’ education is not a priority. Some of the parents quickly agreed to receive support. However, there were others who did not like the idea for various reasons. The most important reason was cultural. Charity is not accepted by the people, and those who receive charity are looked down upon. Bedari did not present this support as a charity work. We presented it as scholarship for those girls who have successfully completed their primary education."
Safeer's report reminds me of why we believe that Girls Ed has a unique program service model with great potential for success - we partner with local organizations that already work in the regions we serve. These local organizations already have relationships and infrastructure in the rural communities that allow us to maximize existing resources through strategic partnerships, while respecting existing culture and values.
Thank you so much for continuing to provide support to our girls in Pakistan and giving them this opportunity to continue their education!
With the holiday giving season upon us, we hope that you will consider Girls Education International for your charitable giving. You can also make a donation as a holiday gift in honor of a family member, friend, or even a secret santa through Globalgiving (choose "give a gift in honor of" on our project page) and send a holiday card to the honoree through Globalgiving or your home computer.
On behalf of the Girls Education International Board of Directors, I wish you a happy holiday season and all the best for 2011 ! With much appreciation, Therese Thompson, Executive Director Girls Education International
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