to pay school fees
In Sierra Leone, girls face a number of barriers that stop them going to school, from abuse, pregnancy, cultural practices to finances. “Many families struggle to make ends meet and can’t afford to keep their children in education. If money is tight, families will often prefer to pay for their sons’ school fees. As a result, girls can be expected to perform domestic tasks or earn money to support their families. According to estimates, 33% of girls from 12-17 are out of school in Sierra Leone.”
Many girls going to school are challenged to continue. Because of this Plan International have organised a system they have groups that the girls are able to save money to pay school fees and continue their education. One girl who has partially solved some of these dilemmas is Isha, 15, who joined a savings group in her community and was selected as a girl ambassador to teach her peers what she had learned. “The most important thing I learned was how to talk in public,” she says. “I used to be quiet and not speak out, but now I am bold and confident.”
After a year of saving money, Isha gave the money that she had saved to her mother, Tokumbo, who used it to pay for her daughter’s school fees and invest in the family business. Tokumbo, was impressed by what she saw.
“What was interesting to me was that the children really prepared for the savings group meetings – they washed up and put on their best clothes to go meet with each other,” says Tokumbo. “I admire my girl when she is bold now to stand up for her rights.
“And all of us parents were impressed by the money that the children could save. We decided that we wanted to do this savings group as adults. Now every Wednesday on market day, 10 of us meet together, and we each give 10,000 Leones to one person in our group. We’ve been doing this now for 15 weeks.
Every week we give to a different person. This is all because of the girls who first started doing this.”
Plan International Sierra Leone’s savings programme teaches skills to girls as young as seven to prepare them to manage money before they get their first job.
As with adults, these groups build confidence and provide a platform to teach other skills, such as public speaking. The skills and confidence the girls gain from these savings groups will help them thrive when they get jobs and start earning money.
Thursday May 25, 2017.