Supporting Girls’ Education in Kobulubulu

krma-USPartners has actively sought to staunch the flow of girls dropping out of Kobulubulu schools during Covid-19 by providing sanitary pad sewing classes, tutoring camp, and identifying which girls have not returned to school.  Our work has been having an impact in Kobulubulu even during the restrictive months of the pandemic.

We have six girls currently on scholarship: two at university and 4 at boarding schools to complete their last two years of high school.  Our first priority was to be sure we supported these girls so that none would succumb to the very real pressures to drop out of their programs, which only recently opened back up. Local coordinator Juliet Dipolah Apio checked in regularly and gathered the girls together on occasion to share their frustrations, and the pressures they needed to resist so that they could return to school.  We are pleased that all six of these young women are back in school and committed to finishing their programs of study.

Girls using a pattern to practice cutting out pads

Sewing sanitary pads. We took advantage of girls being out of school to offer a two-day sanitary pad making training and women’s health education for the head woman teacher, one mother, and 4 girls from each school.  This group of 24 make up the leaders and peer educators for classes to be taught at each of our 4 schools.  All four schools have implemented teaching their first classes of students, with one teacher reporting that even boys are interested in learning how to sew pads, along with learning the educational component about how girls’ bodies and health needs vary from their own.

New educational sponsorships. We have pledges from four donor families to fund an additional 4 girls who qualify to pursue the last 2 years of high school.  Twelve girls are competing for the 4 scholarships. Since the percentage of girls scoring well on the national exams is low, we brought in an expert tutor from a nearby district and offered a pilot “tutoring camp,” similar to an SAT prep course. The tutor was partnered in her instruction with teachers from our local high school KOB-SS, who dedicated their holiday break to assisting during the 10 days of camp. We are hoping to receive some grant money so that we can expand and fund this program for the next round of candidates to finish high school.  Stay tuned for how many girls of this group of 12 qualify on the exams this year.  We should hear about this in July.

All 12 applicants attended every day of tutor camp on their winter break from school to prepare for exams.

Small groups share ideas about overcoming challenges to returning to school

Addressing girls dropping out. Primary school teachers have reported with dismay that even in those few grade levels which have resumed classes, many girls are not returning to continue their education.  We are exploring ways we can help. As a beginning we needed to hear what these girls named as their barriers to returning to school. We brought together 15 girls who have dropped out to discuss challenges they face and how to move past them.  Our next post will focus on what we have learned from them during a one-day event held to support these girls, and to follow up on ideas to respond to their needs.

As a final note, we are SO thankful for each of you who supported us in 2020.  While we did see a decrease in raising of funds, we have enough resources to pursue our evolving agenda (long term strategic planning is difficult during a pandemic!)

Thank you for your dedication to our mission to further the educational opportunities for these four schools in Kobulubulu, and to expand our focus on girls’ education.

Please remember we are always in need of your donations and appreciate early donations in 2021.  Send a check to us, at 13217 New Hampshire Ave. #4291, Silver Spring, MD 20914, or donate online at www.krma-uspartners.org/donate.