Hello from AGE Africa,
We'd like to share an exciting update featuring one of AGE Africa's Scholarship Alumnae. Your generous support through the years has given girls like Diana the opportunity to attend secondary school, graduate, and move on to university.
When Diana was in primary school she walked two hours each way to attend school. She was determined to receive an education and score high in her secondary school entrance exams so she could attend a secondary school with a dormitory. Diana's determination paid off and she was accepted to attend the prestigious St. Mary's Secondary School.
Diana was overcome with joy when she learned the school had a dormitory and she would no longer walk long distances to attend school. Her joy quickly turned to worry when she realized her parents would not be able to pay for her tuition, room, and board.
After learning of her story, Diana's teacher reached out to AGE Africa for assistance and Diana secured a four-year scholarship from AGE Africa that would cover the cost of school fees, uniforms, and other school supplies. Diana would now be able to focus on her studies and not worry about traveling long distances or watching her parents struggle to pay for her schooling.
Diana excelled in school and graduated from St. Mary's Secondary School in 2017. Her story doesn't end there, Diana did so well in school that she was accepted to the University of Malawi School of Medicine. Her dreams of working in the medical field were being realized. Diana is studying to be a pharmacist and in her own words, "she is the first person in her family in her entire village to attend university".
Your generous contributions and the belief that we can change a nation girl by girl has created pathways to success for girls like Diana and our 200 scholarship recipients. We encourage you to visit our website and watch a short two-minute video of Diana's story, courtesy of The Obama Foundation's Girls Opportunity Alliance.
There are many other scholars like Diana who are making an impact in their communities. Your support today helps AGE Africa continue to make a difference in the lives of girls like Diana and, for that, we are so grateful.
Zikomo,
Concepcion Gaxiola
Excecutive Director
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Happy (belated) New Year to all of our generous donors! Here is a story about one of our scholars who has also gained valauble life lesson through attending CHATS.
Lucy is a 17 year-old AGE Africa scholar who comes from Namadingo village. She is 7th of 9 children, who all live with their mother, and attends Nsondole Community Day Secondary School (CDSS).
While the school fees at Nsondole CDSS are not as lofty as other secondary schools, it wasn’t easy for her mother to provide Lucy her school fees in addition to providing basic needs for the family. Lucy struggled in her first year in secondary school. She spent most her time out of school doing piece-meal work with her mother to save enough for her own school fees. She was constantly tired from juggling school work, chores at home and any piece-meal work she could get, so her performance in school suffered more and more as the year progressed.
Late into the second half of her first year, Lucy was shortlisted as an AGE Africa scholarship recipient. She says, “I cried when I was told that AGE Africa has rescued me from my burden raising and working for my own school fees.”
Not only did Lucy benefit from an AGE Africa scholarship, she has also benefited as a member of CHATS. She started attending CHATS sessions when she was in form one, before she ever received a scholarship. “Before joining CHATS I was shy,” Lucy says. “I couldn’t speak in public, but now I have self-confidence and I am able to speak up and present herself properly in public.”
Through CHATS, Lucy and her classmates engage in a variety of projects. The sessions that she says have changed her life are the sessions where the group does community service. Because of having to hustle to raise her own school fess, Lucy was accustomed to charging her neighbors and community members for any work she did, even those that has no money to pay her. She confessed she lacked regard for others’ situations and was aggressive to every person. “But AGE Africa has taught me to make others smile through helping them, just as AGE Africa made me smile and supports me,” Lucy says. “I know my future is bright, and AGE Africa’s scholarship and CHATS Girls Club will help me to achieve in life beyond secondary school.”
There are many other scholars (now 220, in fact!) that have stories much like Lucy's. Your support helps AGE Africa continue to make a difference in the lives of girls like Lucy and, for that, we are so grateful.
In August, AGE Africa held its annual All Scholars Retreat thanks to a generous partnership the Malawi Univeristy of Science and Technology. Over 100 hundreds scholars from all 5 districts that AGE Africa serves participated in the week long event. Scholars stayed on the university's campus and enjoyed a variety of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related activites, including a science fair competition, computer classes, and a talent show. This was the first time many of our scholars left their villages and set foot on a college campus. The All Scholars Retreat not only provided an incredible educational opportunity, but also served as the experience of a lifetime for many girls, showing them what they can access upon completing their secondary education.
AGE Africa is proud to report that we've increased the numer of girls receiving scholarships this year to 225 girls! Our scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships for girls at 24 secondary schools in Malawi. The scholarships compromise not only school tuition fees, but also school uniforms, school supplies, personal hygiene items, transportation, and final exam fees.
Often, many of our scholars come from poor families with a number of family members living off of little to no income, are in remote areas where access to basic needs is sometimes difficult, and travel long distances to school, so AGE Africa's all-encompassing scholarships do more than just send girls to school: they work to keep girls in schools. .\ Many of the girls that recieve scholarships are very bright, but, because they have to worry about how to pay for school, they otfen under perform in school. Upon receiving scholarships, our scholars tend to move to the head of their class and perform better on annual final exams.
In fact, while only 6% of women in Malawi graduate from secondary school, over 90% of AGE Africa scholars continue to graduate AND delay pregnancy and marriage (which are two other deterrents of school-based success in Malawi) well beyond the age of 18 and until after they've graduated from secondary school.
Our 10th Annual Tri for Malawi on Sunday, September 9th is our last race and fundraising event to raise $75,000 toward our scholarship fund. To find out more, visit the Tri for Malawi webpage or our Facebook event and to donate to our race fundriasing campaign/scholarship fund page.
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We are gearing up to run the 10K A Day on May 20th here in Washington, D.C. to honor and celebrate the determination of our scholars who walk more than 10 kilometers just to get to school. As we get ready to #RunForHer, we wanted to share a story of one of our scholars with you.
Dorica is in Form 2 in Nansenga Community Day Secondary School in Mangochi, Malawi. When she was young, her parents separated and her father remarried, and all the responsibility of providing for Dorica and her siblings fell on mother. Her mother relies on rain-fed, small scale farming to provide for her children. Dorica is the only girl from her small community that has reached secondary school, and many people in her community do not understand why she continues on with her education. They laugh at her and insult her, saying that even with school she will still end up just being someone's wife. Dorica could let this bring her down, however she uses their doubt to fuel her determination in finishing school and accomplishing her goals.
Dorica is one of our scholars who walks a tremendous distance to attend school, walking 16 kilometers (nearly 10 miles) every day to get to school and back. Even though she walks so far, she still makes sure that she arrives at school early and is never absent. Dorica understands that finishing school is essential if she wants to reach her goal of becoming a journalist. She aspires to become a radio announcer so she can be the first one to let her community know about the latest news. When Dorica completes school and realizes her goals, she will be an incredible leader in her community and a role-model for other girls.
You can support Dorica and girls like her in reaching their goals by signing up here to run with us in the 10K A Day!
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