Empower Mozambican girls to go to high school

Only 11% of Mozambican girls ever make it to high school. At the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI), we work closely with rural primary schools and see how many girls finish the seventh grade (the last grade in Mozambique's primary system) and then never get the chance to go to eight grade or beyond. We are working to change this. The first step is figuring out what are the main barriers for girls continuing on to high school and how they can be overcome.

As we've been gathering funds to launch our pilot girls high school program next year (January 2022), the MSLI team has been holding meetings and discussing with students, teachers, parents, and community leaders about what are the main challenges that girls face in going to high school and what support is needed. The main issue is that most high schools are in urban areas, so girls from rural villages have to travel long distances and that is usually not feasible on a daily basis. For some girls, having a bicycle could be a solution. For others, staying with a host family or relative is another option, but they need support to pay for food and board. Finally, the school fees at the high school level are higher because there are more subjects and materials to purchase.

Based on this assessment, MSLI is putting together a tailored package of support for girls in various different situations. Our goal is to test these solutions next year and see which one works best. We really appreciate your support in helping us launch this pilot and we look forward to updating you over the coming months!

Education for all!

Links:

• Check out our website!