Denver, Colorado —
It's no secret that under pandemic lockdown for so many months, young
people around the world have coped in tremendous ways. They have found
new outlets for
learning and creative channels for developing and using
their skills.
Young people like
Mary, who kept her school subjects fresh through a group study via
WhatsApp; Florence, who filled her time with an online professional
development course to help improve her resume and elevator pitch; and
Gift, a young girl who taught herself to make ice cream via YouTube and
now aspires to open her own business someday.
Young people are adaptable, resilient.
But those are
learned skills, and not every young person has an opportunity to learn
them. In Tanzania, it is common for girls to grow up being told that
they are weak, unimportant, and destined to remain in the domestic
sphere as mothers and wives.
Only 39 percent of
girls in Tanzania are lucky enough to attend school. Those who do face
significant financial, cultural, and environmental challenges that can
undermine their ability to make the most of their secondary school
opportunity, resulting too often in dropout.
If you grow up
thinking you are weak and unimportant, those thoughts stay with you. We
believe what we are told. Which is why "soft" skills, such as
resilience, inner strength, confidence, internal motivation, and
leadership are so essential - especially for a young woman. If a girl is
taught to understand her worth, her potential, and given the skills and
tools to pursue her dreams, she is unstoppable.
Soft skills are
often not taught in the classroom, but they do need to be taught. In
Tanzania, AfricAid supports a locally-led mentorship program for
secondary school girls run by GLAMI (Girls Livelihood and Mentorship
Initiative).
By pairing girls
with university-educated Tanzanian women who once faced the same
challenges as the girls they mentor, GLAMI bridges the gap between
academics and a girl's ability to live the future she chooses for
herself. In her mentor, a girl sees her own possibility.
GLAMI's four-year
program for girls in lower secondary school is called Binti Shupavu,
which translates to "courageous daughter" in Swahili. The program
teaches study skills, personal leadership, health, and self-confidence
with the goal of increasing graduation rates among vulnerable girls -
which it does, by a remarkable 98 percent, compared to 69 percent
national
For older students,
the Kisa Project, which means "story" in Sawhili, is a leadership
course that prepares young women in their last two years of secondary
school to attend university and create positive social change in her
community.
Only 3 percent of
Tanzanian girls go on to tertiary education, but 97 percent of Kisa
scholars do. Alumnae from both programs are more likely to complete
school and advance their education, and less likely to become pregnant
or be married at an early age. Graduates go on to start their own
businesses and hold leadership positions in their communities.
Both programs build
resilience, which has been shown to be a key factor in helping girls
overcome challenges, leading to better emotional wellbeing and better
outcomes later in life.
Resilience is what
allows these scholars to bounce back from the myriad challenges they
face - especially in times of COVID-19 - and to learn from these
obstacles and become better prepared for future challenges.
Hard skills are
important, too. Which is why GLAMI also provides girls with programming
that helps them learn financial literacy, study skills, and
time-management. Girls need resilience, confidence, and self-belief in
addition to these practical skills if they are to succeed and become
changemakers in their communities.
As UNESCO-UNEVOC
leads the world in celebrating World Youth Skills Day on July 15, and
highlighting the importance of equipping young people with skills for
employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship, let's also highlight the
need to give all of young people - especially girls - all of the skills
they need to truly succeed.
Every girl has the
potential to be a leader and every girl deserves to feel confident
within and outside of the classroom. But first, she needs the right
skills. And a mentor to show the way.
*Africaid works
in close partnership with sister organization, GLAMI (Girls Livelihood
and Mentorship Initiative), AfricAid also supports mentorship
opportunities that help secondary school girls in Tanzania complete
their education, develop into confident leaders, and transform their own
lives and their communities
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