One Girl. One Bike
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THE NEED:
Most secondary school students in rural areas walk to school. School location combined with distance from home limits girls’ performance in the classroom, poses challenges in regular school attendance as well as participation in extracurricular activities and after-school events. Those who walk long distances to school arrive late and most of the time physically exhausted, which affects their ability to learn. This situation also puts girls at a high risk of sexual harassment, pregnancies, and early marriages, leading to poor academic performance and/or forcing them to drop out of school. The situation, therefore, limits opportunities for girl students to access education and fosters gender disparity in school settings.
WHY GIRL STUDENTS:
Gender inequality in accessing quality education has been a matter of concern to various individuals and institutions. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its observation of the implementation status and trends of the Millennium Development Goals in Tanzania noted that the ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary schools have been achieved. However, there are still gender disparities in enrollment at upper secondary and tertiary levels of education. It was further observed that the main causes of gender disparities in retention and performance in secondary schools include girls’ dropout due to early pregnancies and marriages.
Similarly, a study by Gervas Machimu and Josephine Joseph Minde on rural girls’ educational challenges in Tanzania concluded that many rural girls are enrolled in secondary schools but are more likely to drop out of school compared to boys.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE:
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Assist girls living far from school and walking long distances by providing quick means of transportation
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Improve students attendance at classes
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Improve performance through reducing tiredness caused by walking long distances
THE OPPORTUNITY:
ILAVA will donate between 10- 20% of its sales towards Bicycle for Enhancing Girl Education in Tanzania or a donation of $75 will cover the cost of the bike and all the necessary costs to transfer the bike to the village. Support these efforts through the link below:
BIKE DISTRIBUTION:
On 2nd December 2020, Msichana Initiative donated a total number of 40 bicycles in Tinde and Kituli Secondary schools in Shinyanga Region. Through this donation, 40 young girls benefited (20 girls from Tinde and 20 from Kituli Secondary School). These schools were selected through collaboration with Regional Education Officers after seeing the challenges which faced some of the girls from these schools.
Before the Shinyanga region, the Msichana Initiative had handled over 40 bicycles in Dodoma, 25 Bicycles in Lindi, and 40 bicycles in Tanga region.
IMPACT:
2020 saw several major successes in this program. Student beneficiaries of the program:
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Went to High School from Nanguru school in Lindi.
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Achieved Division Two or Three on their Form Four Mock Exams, which has not happened since the inception of the school.
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Reduced their need for less reliable modes of transportation.
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Increased their knowledge of life skills and capacity to report gender-based violence to authorities, which helps prevent high dropout rates for schools.
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97% of student beneficiaries had no more challenges related to punctuality, tiredness due to long travel to school, and affirmed that recently girls are escaping Boda Boda temptations that tends to lead to sexually assaults.
Our goal is to provide 150 bicycles by the end of 2022.
Join us in empowering young women and girls in pursuing their education!