Mais Escola Para Mim
The program is designed to address obstacles that lead girls to leave school and prevent them from beginning secondary school in particular. These obstacles include extreme financial hardship, sexual abuse and harassment in schools, and complex discriminatory social and cultural norms, such as child marriage, that reinforce gender inequalities.
Meet the Students from the class of 2008!
The girls signing an original song about the foundation and their scholarship.
To address these obstacles, Mais Escola para Mim integrates scholarship assistance with after-school programs and social worker support. The social workers lead, counsel, and live with the girls in a fully equipped FLM dormitory. They teach a 2 hour biweekly leadership course that fills gaps in curriculum and teaches girls to overcome the problems they face, while helping the girls to practice leadership by organizing their own after-school sports, literature, and culture programs. The program also includes measures to bring about accountability in schools and social change through the social worker’s strategic partnerships with community organizations and school committees.
Mais Escola para Mim is currently being implemented at the Secondary School of Magude, the only secondary school in Magude, one of the largest districts in Maputo province. The program has provided scholarships to 20 girls to attend secondary school and participate in the program’s after-school activities, which include student-led soccer, dance, and singing sessions. The Mais Escola para Mim blog details the girls’ experience thus far.