Send 40 Girls in Niger to Secondary School

Dear Friends,

Thank you for supporting girls and young women in Niger through our scholarship program. We are closing this campaign, so this will be the last report that you see. We continue to raise money for our Girls’ Advancement Program, which includes the scholarship program to which you have so generously given. Stay tuned for a new project to be posted in GlobalGiving!  The Remember Niger Girls Advancement Program provided 79 tiered scholarships to middle school-aged girls in Niger during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. We are thankful that Remember Niger's collaborative partnerships with those who own and operate their schools in Niger enables us to continue our work, even when there is instability and uncertainty in Niger.

Less than 50% of girls in Niger attend primary school, only 11% progress to middle school, and less than 5% matriculate to high school. Keeping girls in school during middle and high school has a positive, cascading effect on their lives, families, and communities. The intended outcome of our Girls Advancement Program is that girls are enabled to continue their secondary education and that 90% of girls in the scholarship program will pass the National Exam given at the end of 3eme (9^th grade). An additional outcome is that families and communities become more engaged and invested in ensuring that girls receive a middle school education. Often, when a girl does have the opportunity to attend secondary school, she finds the work challenging and needs extra support and care in order to stay in school.  Remember Niger’s scholarship program is designed to offer the girls the assistance they need to succeed.

We’ve shared about Houge in the past and are highlighting her journey again in this report, as she offers an excellent example of a young woman who would not be in school without the extra support and care provided through Remember Niger Coalition and her sponsor.  Houge is now attending a university in Niger where she is studying to become a doctor.  However, what most people don’t know is that Houge has suffered setbacks and challenges along the way.  For example, she didn’t pass the high school exit exam and had to retake her senior year and retake the exam.  She passed the exam the second time and was admitted into the university.  For many girls, the reality is that their parents don’t allow them to continue and try again when they fail the exam the first time.  But, because she is in our scholarship program, we were able to support her through this challenge.  The second challenge occurred during the first semester of university.  Houge suffered from a stomach illness that kept her from attending classes for over a month.  She was forced to retake the first semester of classes.  Again, she was able to overcome this difficulty and stay in school because Remember Niger gave her the support she needed.  Most women in her situation would not have been able to continue.

The Remember Niger Coalition’s scholarship program is designed to provide girls and young women with the support they need to stay in school and fulfil their dreams.  We don’t expect the girls to be perfect.  We know that they will encounter challenges along the way.  That’s why we take the time to talk to their parents, provide extra tutoring and conduct “check-ins”. We make certain that they know if they work hard and desire to stay in school, we’re there for them.  

Thank you for being there for the girls in our scholarship program.  This challenging, and yet, very rewarding work would not be possible without you.

With gratitude and in partnership,

Kara 

Links:

• Visit our site to learn more about our work

In the small village of Djeratoua, Niger lives a girl named Nana who has had the opportunity to attend a small private middle school thanks to your support through GlobalGiving. Nana’s dreams of becoming a journalist were kept alive when she received a scholarship through Remember Niger’s Girls’ Advancement program. Nana’s success or failure on the National Exam at the end of the 2021-22 academic year would dictate whether she would be able to continue on to high school and, hopefully, university. Thanks to the tuition scholarship, tutoring, uniform, books, and food that Nana received during the school year, she was well-prepared for the June exam. Imagine her delight when, a few weeks after taking the exam, Nana received word that she had passed and would be welcomed to the local public high school for the coming school year!

One of our greatest challenges is making sure that girls and young women stay enrolled in school. If they attend primary school, there are countless barriers that keep them from going on to middle school and high school. In Niger, only 11% of girls attend middle school and less than 5% go to high school. You are helping to change these numbers by supporting the Remember Niger girls scholarship program. Through your generosity, the girls attend high quality schools and receive extra tutoring.

In September, I had the opportunity to meet with 11 parents who have daughters in the scholarship program. They are incredibly thankful for the opportunity that you are giving their girls. One father said, “I’m very grateful that my daughter is in school - a very good school. I can never repay you for your kindness. This will make a large difference in her life and for our family. May God bless you!”  

The girls’ parents work hard to provide for their families, but for most Nigeriens, sending their daughters to secondary school is more than they can afford. If there is a public school close by, it is cost restrictive because parents are expected to purchase uniforms, books and supplies. Additionally, the quality of the education is reduced greatly by the number of students in the classes, which is often over 100 students. The girls in our scholarship program attend high quality schools schools where the class size is less than 50 students. Moreover they receive extra tutoring throughout the year, which helps ensure that they are successful.

Through your support, you are giving hope and confidence to over 70 girls, that they can have a bright future and make a impactful contribution to their communities and their country.

Thank you!

Kara

This is an important and stressful time of year for secondary students in Niger.  Later this month, all students in the last year of middle school and high school will take a national exam. Students will not be allowed to move on to high school or university unless they are successful. In Niger, only 5% of students are able to matriculate to high school and less than 1% attend university. Thanks to your support, the 77 girls and young women who receive scholarships from Remember Niger Coalition are well-prepared. They are attending high quality schools where the classes are smaller and their teachers are well trained and truly care about their success.  In addition, they participate in an after-school tutoring program that is designed to help address their weaker areas. 

You may remember Binta, a scholarship recipient who is attending the Hamsa Girls School.  We first introduced you to Binta several years ago.  She was unable to pass the 6^th grade national exam to attend middle school.  With extra assistance and a scholarship, she was accepted into the Hamsa Girls School. By the end of the first year, Binta was excelling at the top of her class and has continued to do so throughout middle school.  When asked about her success, she said, “I’m doing better because the classes are smaller, my teachers care about their students, and I’m not afraid to ask questions when I don’t understand something.”  Although nervous, Binta is confident that she will do well on the exam and continue her education into high school.  This is an important step to realizing her dream of becoming a doctor.  We will keep you updated on how Binta and the other scholarship recipients do!

Thanks to your generosity, Remember Niger continues to enable girls to go to secondary school through our Girls Scholarship Program.  During the 2021-22 academic school year, Remember Niger is sponsoring girls at secondary school in the towns of Zinder, Tahoua and Tsibiri.  As girls successfully complete high school, it has been our dream to make sure that those girls who want to continue on to university are able to do so. Your contributions to the scholarship program is are making that dream a reality! 

We'd like to introduce you to Hougé, the very first student in the Remember Niger Scholarship Program.  Hougé inspires us because she is a shining example of what a young person can achieve when given the opportunity. When she was in the fifth grade,  Hougé's father passed away and she needed financial assistance to continue her education. Fortunately, Remember Niger was able to extend a scholarship to her. Hougé scored the highest score in the region on the national sixth grade exam and was given the opportunity to go to middle school through Remember Niger's Girls Scholarship Program. She graduated from high school in 2020 and is now attending the university in Niger where she is pursuing a medical degree. She plans to be a doctor so that she can help others in her community.  She also talks passionately about encouraging girls in her family and community to stay in school. Only 9% of Nigerien girls attend middle school and that number goes down to less than 5% for high school.  

Remember Niger works to improve school infrastructure, provide teacher training, and enable students to receive quality education.  Our Girls Scholarship Program, which enables girls to continue their education past primary school and achieve their dreams of being the change in their country, is an integral aspect of our work.  Thank you for your commitment to providing more opportunities for quality education for secondary school girls in Niger.