Empower girls in Niger for change via education

Thanks to our donors, girls' futures are taking shape in the healthcare professions.

We have received some particularly encouraging news: seven of our scholarship recipients have passed the BEPC, and three others have earned their high school science diplomas (baccalauréat scientifique). This means that ten young women will now be able to take the next step in their education and prepare for careers in healthcare.

Since its creation in 2009, the association Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ has worked tirelessly to give young women in Niamey, Niger, from disadvantaged families the same opportunities to succeed as others. For the past 17 years, our goal has been simple: to enable these young women, admitted to Hampaté Bâ Middle School, to pursue their education as far as possible, all the way to earning a diploma that will allow them to find employment and build their futures.

Today, this mission takes on a particularly special significance with the excellent results achieved by our scholarship recipients.

The seven young women who have just passed their BEPC will now be able to continue their education at one of the best private healthcare schools in Niamey. There, they will complete a three-year, high-school-level program leading to a healthcare assistant qualification.

This educational path represents a genuine opportunity for them. It will allow them to enter a practical course of study quickly, directly connected to the professional world. At the end of these three years, they will be able, if they wish and depending on the opportunities available to them, to pursue higher education in nursing.

This choice of educational path also reflects a reality we have observed over the years. Even when some of our students achieve excellent results in their final year of middle school, the transition to high school can become difficult. Their grades may decline during the final years of high school, and sometimes earning the baccalauréat becomes uncertain. Unfortunately, we have seen several cases where students who were clearly gifted did not achieve the results that their abilities would have led us to expect.

For young women who have passed the BEPC and who wish to work in healthcare, entering a specialized school directly can therefore be a particularly appropriate path. The teaching is generally more practical, more closely supervised, and more directly focused on the profession they have chosen. For motivated students, this approach can significantly increase their chances of success and allow them to develop a clear professional plan more quickly.

After completing their initial three-year training, they will then be able to pursue higher education in the medical field, including a bachelor’s-level degree, and potentially continue on to a master’s degree if they wish, if circumstances allow, and if our association has the resources necessary to continue supporting them.

The three scholarship recipients who earned their science baccalauréat, for their part, have chosen to pursue their studies directly in healthcare. Beginning in the next academic year, they will also have the opportunity to enroll in one of the best healthcare institutes in Niamey. Over three years, they will be able to work toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing or gynecology, depending on the specialization they choose.

For these ten young women, these results therefore represent far more than academic achievement. They represent the concrete opening of new professional and personal opportunities.

We are especially proud of these young women. The results they have just achieved are remarkable, particularly when considered in light of the social and family circumstances from which they come.

For young women from families that do not have the financial means to pay for higher education, reaching this level of achievement is a tremendous accomplishment. But these results did not happen by chance.

Since 2009, Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ has sought to provide support that goes far beyond simple financial assistance. Our scholarship recipients also receive educational support, assistance with nutrition and healthcare, as well as support with computer equipment. All of these elements help provide them with the conditions they need to learn, progress, and believe in their own abilities.

For us, education is an essential means of building their future. It enables them, of course, to acquire professional skills, but it also helps them develop critical thinking, gain financial independence, and take their full place in society.

Today, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our current and future donors who, through GlobalGiving, have contributed to this cause.

Without the donations we receive, we would not be able to implement the programs that support these young women throughout their educational journeys. Scholarships, educational support, healthcare assistance, and access to computer equipment are all made possible by the generosity of those who choose to support our work.

Behind every donation, therefore, there is much more than a one-time contribution. There is an opportunity for a young woman to continue her education. There is an additional chance to succeed in an exam. There is an opportunity to access professional training and, tomorrow, to find employment.

This year’s results are a concrete illustration of that impact: ten young women will now be able to continue their journey toward careers in healthcare.

We would like to warmly congratulate them on their hard work, dedication, courage, and determination to succeed. They have demonstrated their abilities and their commitment, and we are very happy to be able to support them.

We also believe that choosing careers in healthcare is particularly meaningful. Niger needs skilled and committed healthcare professionals. Training in this field can offer these young women good career prospects, whether in a hospital, a clinic, or eventually in independent practice.

Our hope now is to continue supporting them as far as possible, until they obtain the diploma corresponding to the profession they choose.

These ten achievements belong to them, but they also belong, in part, to you. It is thanks to the support of our donors that Les Amis de Hampaté Bâ can give these young women the means to turn their abilities into real opportunities.