First Trimester Update

By Sabina Sequeira - Project Manager, April 25, 2008 05:20 PM

The girls just finished their first trimester at the Secondary School of Magude. I have good news to report: the girl's average grades were higher than the class averages in every class! This is a significant achievement for the girls, especially those from Motaze, as the farther primary schools are away from Magude town, the less rigor they typically have due to a shortage of teachers in those areas.

The girls' backgrounds gave them a significant disadvantage over other students: difficulty with Portuguese. Back in their hometowns, Portuguese is used very little in everyday life and taught at a slow pace at school. When the girls first came to Magude, they faced the challenge of improving their Portuguese and using it both inside and outside the classrooms. But, through hard work and by working together, the girls have overcome this challenge! Their grades in Portuguese are significantly above the class average.

I do have a bit of sad news to report: two of the 20 girls have left the program. The brothers of one of the girls demanded that she stop school and come and live back home. The other came to the program feeling ill, and left for home shortly after.

This highlights the difficulty we face in our selection process: we come across girls who are extremely eager to continue studying whose families are not fully supportive of this and may change their minds. Other girls may have a great desire to continue school but may not be able to due to health conditions present before starting the program.

The experience has given us much information to fine-tune our selection process for the coming year. Age has been a significant factor in students' success: those 14 and under have performed significantly better overall than those who are 15. Also, in order to find the girls who are both most in need of the scholarship and who are most likely to be able to complete the program, we plan to add a family interview component as well as several additional health questions to next year's interview process.

The rest of the girls are well and are enjoying living, working, and studying together. I recently sat down with each of them one on one, and almost every one of them expressed admiration for their activities teacher and role model, Mariana Manhiqui. I was surprised that the girls had no complaints other than one of the lights in the living room had fused.

The girls have started their second semester this week after two weeks vacation at home with their families. I'm looking forward to seeing them tomorrow and hearing about their time at home.

Was this report valuable... yes no Loading...

Tell us why (your comments may be shared publicly). Rules for Comments

Comments Show All

Scholarship Recipient Selection!

By Sabina Sequeira - Project Manager, February 06, 2008 09:50 AM

We have made significant strides in getting the Mais Escola para Mim up and running. In the past two weeks, we awarded 20 girls scholarships to attend the 8, 9, and 10 grades at a ceremony with their parents. A week prior, we traveled to Motaze, Bobe, Facazissa, and Ungubana, rural settlings with poor roads as far as 50km away from Magude, several times during the week to distribute scholarship applications, interview applicants, and interview women to lead the girls. We also successfully found and hired a dynamic and passionate woman serve as the activities coordinator and social worker for the girls. She is a member of the civil society organization MACALELO, taking care of a group of orphans during the daytime. This week we also organized and set up a large house we have rented for the girls to live, study, and play in. The activities coordinator and another woman are living with and taking care of the girls, serving as proxy mothers, counselors, leaders, and role models.

I have attached several pictures we took these last two weeks that show the interview process, the awards ceremony, and a bit about life in Magude. In the first picture, Gabriel administers the essay writing portion of the application to a group of girls in Motaze. The second and third pictures are group photos of the scholarship recipients, with their certificates at the Inauguration Ceremony and in front of the Secondary School of Magude.

In our selection process, we focused on finding girls who were both facing the most financial hardship, but who were also most likely to make the 3-year commitment to succeeding in and finishing school. Below are the names and ages of our 20 scholarship recipients. Recipients ages vary between 12 and 16, because it is common for girls to begin school late in Mozambique, or to have been held back early in primary school.

Motaze   
Zaida Alberto Tembe, 15
Magda Augusto Mbendzene, 14
Marquina Tarciso Mbalate, 15
Cremilda Milagre Matcheque, 14
Ginoca Armando Nguenha, 14
Marcia Zefanias Mbenzene, 13
Luisa Carlos Zuana, 14

Bobe   
Cristeza Armando Telmo, 16
Carla Joel Ribisse, 14
Valda Rogue Sambo, 15
Evelina Domingo Timane, 13
Hortencia Paulo Manjate, 16
Lucia Jorge Macuacua, 13

Ungubana   
Ester Pedro Ubisse, 14
Ana Francisco Macuacua, 16
Alegria Paula Cossa, 15
Artemiza Souza Cossa, 15

Facazissa   
Carolina Ananias Monjane, 13
Milca Alfredo Balane, 12
Marcelia Salomae Chemo, 15


At the Inauguration ceremony, the girls and their parents were excited about the program, bursting out into song several times after hearing specific details of the program. On behalf of the Foundation, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported the program thus far. It has been immensely rewarding work, and I look forward to sending more updates on the girls as they get into the rhythm of their classes in secondary school and begin their after-school leadership, sports, and culture programs.

Attachments:

• Essay Writing in Motaze
• Proudly Holding their Certificates
• Scholarship Winners in front of Their New School

Was this report valuable... yes no Loading...

Tell us why (your comments may be shared publicly). Rules for Comments

Comments Show All