Send 40 Girls in Niger to Secondary School

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.

“Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. Girls' education strengthens economies and reduces inequality.”*

Dear Friends,

I had the privilege of meeting Nadia during a recent trip to Niger. Nadia is fifteen years old and was forced to leave middle school when she became accutely ill with a kidney disease.  She had to stay in the hospital for several months. When she tried to return to school the director explained that she was no longer enrolled because she had missed too many days of class. Instead of being given the opportunity to repeat the school year, she was told that her education career was over. Like too many other girls in Niger, Nadia is very intelligent and deserves to stay in school to realize her vision for her life.  Her desire is to become a doctor so that she can treat children in her community who need help.

I'm happy to report that thanks to your support Nadia will attend school this year! Nadia's father is thrilled that his daughter has this opportunity.  When we met with him, he readily aggreed that she is very intelligent and belongs back in school.  Unfortunately, he does not have the financial means to to make that happen.  But, because to your generosity, she will be able to continue her education. 

Thank you for helping us provide Nadia and many other girls like her with the gift of education! 

Kara VanderKamp

Executive Director, Remember Niger Coalition

*UNICEF Girls Education

Links:

• Learn More About Remember Niger Coalition