She's The First!

Congratulations to Mary and Finyueli on their graduation from high school! Their graduation ceremonies were cancelled at their schools because of a cholera outbreak, so we gave them a graduation party for their families at The Girls Center.

After their graduation Mary and Fin spent 5 months at The Girls Center in our Next Steps Program interning at a hospital and school, tutoring at our After School program for primary school students as well as learning from our intern Mika how to sew clothes on a sewing machine! Mary and Finyueli started their first year as university students at Mwenge Catholic University in October. They are the first in their families to attend university. Mary is one of 6 children and Finyueli one of 5 children. Both their parents finished school in 7th grade and are farmers, selling maize and beans at the local market, struggling to support their large families. It is a great achievement for a Tanzanian woman to study at university, especially our students whose families struggled to pay for their daughters’ school fees during primary school. Girls’ education has a huge impact on society. Girls with higher levels of education will delay marriage, have fewer children and are more likely to invest in their family and community. Every year girls stay in school their income will increase by 20%. Congratulations to Mary and Finyueli who are studying to become high school science teachers!