Empower girls in Niger for change via education

A BIT OF HISTORY

10 years ago…

In 2012, an innovative Girl Empowerment Program was put in place at Hampaté Bâ Middle School by our Association with activities focused specifically on our underprivileged girls to give them chances for gender equality. One of these activities was a new computer training program. Most of the girls were 12 years old at the time and just starting Middle School.

We wanted girls at our school to become life-long learners with the capacity to be top academic and social achievers and confident and active members of society. We believed that for meaningful transformation of gender relations to come about, girls needed to participate in efforts to eliminate the discrimination and inequalities they face within their schools and communities in Niger. And this is precisely what the new Girl Empowerment project enabled the young girls at Amadou Hampaté Bâ School to do.

To begin with, we thought that just knowing how to use basic skills on a computer would be enough to improve the girls' capacities in their civic life as well as in their future professional life. So we set up  a computer room equipped with 20 computers and with a trained computer teacher. Outside of the school classroom, few computers were available in homes and so students used internet cafés for internet connexions when necessary.

AND NOW …. TODAY !

10 years later …….

In 2022-2023, to our great surprise, we have gone from 7 scholarship girls to 55 scholarship girls. The 7 girls who started with the new computer project back in 2012 all succeeded their Baccalauréat and are now 22 - 23 years old and are in higher education universities, technological institutes and medical training institutes.   

Little could we have guessed that a computer would no longer be just an option… it is an absolute MUST for university and higher education students in Niamey to each have their own computer to do homework and study for exams (as can be seen in attached photo, each student has his own computer). We were shocked the day that a student in Medical studies asked us if she could possibly have a computer in order to receive the class assignments and the anatomical drawings passed through to the students for homework. We were lucky to have the Rotary Club who purchased computers for our scholarship girls in health institutes, law studies, and technological studies.

A NEED FOR COMPUTERS, YES,  AND EVEN MORE !

Next in line as a requirement, in higher education, is to be able to exchange and share information, which is extremely difficult in Niamey where access to internet is not often available and when it is, it provides only low through-put. So the turn around for this lack of connectivity is the use of USB keys. Although not very safe, they are a must-have to be able to get and share information. The uses for this key are numerous, as witnessed by interviews with our girls . Have a look!

Karima :” In my medical studies, for my Master’s diploma, my professors need to pass documents, pdf’s, schemas and photos of anatomy to us every day. I need a key with a big memory capacity for this.” 

Halimata : I’m preparing to give my power point presentation with many photos before the jury for my Bachelor’s degree and I really need  a USB key to put my presentation on the school’s server in order to make the projection.” 

Roumanatou : “For my law studies, I need a USB key to transfer my law courses which are very voluminous to my computer. It is absolutely indispensable for my  International Humanitarian Law  Master’s Degree. I cannot do my work without a key with a large memory capacity”.

Mariama :” For my major in computer studies, I need a USB key for EVERYTHING !”

• THE GIFT OF A KEY : A KEY GIFT !

As you can imagine, we procured some high quality USB keys that had a large memory capacity, and distributed them to the girls who had a need for them in their studies. The same young girls entering 6th grade in 2012 who have now become young women, treat a USB key as a coveted treasure ! You can witness their joy and delight by looking at the attached photos.

THANK YOU for your donations which have helped these girls immensely. By giving adolescent girls the tools they needed to improve their own lives, and by engaging them in efforts to uplift their communities, we are promoting the progress of the entire society. Our project puts girls first due to their special responsibility to pass on knowledge to future generations. Alumni from Hampaté Bâ can attest to the fact that the scholarships offered to them allowing them to receive a quality education have enormously helped improve their well-being as well as that of their families. Your recurring donations make all the difference. We still need your continued support for new girls entering 6th grade, so they will have the same opportunities as the Alumni. The Girl Empowerment Project has indeed given them the chance to avoid early marriages, break the poverty cycle & continue their studies leading to interesting job opportunities. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping these girls to get a better future !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023!

2022 : Goodbye to a very successful year for accomplishing goals! 

Our non-profit, les Amis de Hampaté Bâ, is pleased to announce that the year 2022 was a prosperous year filled with many accomplishments. Thanks to your faithful support,  we were able to meet our goals and not only help underprivileged girls in Niger to get a quality education through funding of scholarships, but also to motivate them to work hard, enjoy studying, and thrive.  The girls who are recipients of scholarships from us, are extremely grateful and take their studies very seriously.

After all, these underprivileged girls are receiving a precious gift from our charity : The Gift of Education ! We are thrilled to have made a difference in young girls’ lives and have given them hope and we sincerely thank you for your contributions in 2022 that made this possible. 

Review of our Achievements in 2022 and what we have done to help empower girls. 

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Gender equality, a fundamental right - Empowerment of Girls through Education 

We firmly believe that gender equality is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world and that education is definitely the key to helping girls become independent. We have been working for 14 years now to achieve gender equality through our actions to empower underserved young girls in Niamey by providing them with equal access to a quality education. Unfortunately, girls from marginalised backgrounds are penalized and denied access to education since their families cannot afford to pay school fees. The greatest barriers to ongoing education of girls in Niger are poverty and teen marriages. By keeping girls in school, we help girls escape early marriages and by funding scholarships, we give girls equal opportunities to study in spite of economic difficulties in their families. 

• Scholarships for tuition, but not only… The scholarships we offered in 2022 not only covered tuition, but also provided School Supplies & textbooks. These measures were essential in being able to keep girls in school and avoid early drop out due to lack of support elements.

• Weekly Computer training in a computer lab gave our students the opportunity to become computer proficient. The girls were very proud of their evaluations which showed that their results in computer skills were as good as those of the boys in their classes, and sometimes even better.   Individual report cards for students in computer classes from 6th grade through 12th grade were made out by a trained instructor and inspired the students even more. They were eager to show their parents that they had mastered the basics of computers, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet access and MS Access. Quite an accomplishment, indeed ! 

• After-School Tutoring sessions gave equal opportunities to scholarship girls who were weak in certain subjects, especially math. These girls had no space to study at home and had no one who could  help them with their homework, since most of their parents were illiterate. Therefore, these afternoon sessions at school after the regular classes, were absolutely vital to them, especially for those who were candidates for the BEPC and BAC Diplomas. Consequently, their grades increased amazingly even after the first few months of tutoring.

• Girls Mentoring Sessions provided the girls with knowledge and essential life skills that they need to succeed as women. This project also provided training in self-esteem, critical thinking skills, and teenage pregnancy awareness. These private “only girls” classes were very much appreciated as the girls were able to openly discuss amongst themselves with a mentor’s guidance, subjects that would have been taboo in front of boys.

• Career Talk & Guidance Counselling Girls’ Mentoring Programs were held every month starting in January 2022 to help girls choose a career. Our partner in Niamey presented the types of careers with examples and helped each girl visualise a career path adapted to her talents. At the same time, each girl was encouraged to be passionate about what she wanted to do, as a main key to success.  The girls received invaluable guidance and counselling in order to stay on track with their educational goals. This counselling proved to help the girls enormously, to envision what path would be the best for them.

• Hooray for Diploma results in 2022, which were surprisingly positive.  Scholarship recipients  at all levels succeeded in moving to the next year.  We noticed how Education had uplifted these girls coming from very poor backgrounds and inspired them. Those passing the Brevet exam at the end of the 4th year in Middle School had 100% success rate and those who had moved on to High School after 3 more years had a 75% success rate at the Baccalaureate Exam in 2022. Congratulations are also in order for Alumni who  pursued post Bac studies and received Bachelor’s degrees in Business, Marketing, Law and Finance.  Not to forget those girls who received National diplomas to become nurses and a few excelling in Computer Studies. It has indeed been a great year of achievements !

2023 : Hello to the New Year !  What is in store?

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Welcome to an innovative new year of even more opportunities for our underprivileged girl students . The future is looking bright and 2023 is bound to be another prosperous year for girls in Niamey ! We are hoping that more girls will receive scholarships and have the chance to study. We can do this with your help.

What better gift could these girls possibly receive to start the New Year than the gift of education ? We have plans to keep improving our focus on empowering impoverished young girls through education.  We will continue our actions to educate and empower underprivileged girls in Hampaté Bâ Secondary School and also in institutions for vocational education and training as well as alumni in higher education.

We are seeing girls who were once at risk, maturing and blossoming into well-educated, emancipated, gainfully employed and self-sufficient women. These empowered women are transforming their families and communities. 

We are delighted to be a part of preparing them for a great future.

 Our aim is to get more girls into school, ensure that they continue their education, overcome challenges, and possess the basic tools needed to succeed in later life. Thanks to YOU, our GlobalGiving donors, we will be able to provide the adequate financial support to make these objectives a reality.

We have witnessed over the years that we can make an incredible difference in the lives of young girls coming from very poor backgrounds. Education uplifts them and can totally change their destinies.

Together we can change girls’ lives and make a huge difference. l

Your support is making their education dream come true. Thanks to your generous support, the future of our scholarship girls is looking brighter each day.`

Making a donation is the most effective way to help girls get their education. Every amount donated makes a difference!.Thank you so much for your ongoing support towards empowering and educating girls in Niger.