10 photos of girls learning around the world

20 Nov 2017 By Amira Aleem

Globally, more than 130 million girls are out of school. It's one of the biggest challenges we face in creating an equal world.  

VSO volunteers around the world are supporting schools and communities to protect girls' rights to education. It's good news, because when girls do well, we all do well.  

Here are ten photos that show girls learning aound the world.  

1. In Lilongwe, Malawi, Pemphero uses a tablet computer provided by VSO to access her lessons at Chatsala Primary School. Pemphero is among many young primary school dropouts who are being supported by volunteers on VSO's Unlocking Talent project to prepare them to go back to school. 

Amos Gumulira

2. In Bungoma County, Kenya, a student grins as she plays with learning aids at Kimwanga Special School for the Hearing Impaired. Before VSO training, her teacher Isabella Kituyi had no specialist training whatsoever in supporting deaf and hearing-impaired children. Having now been trained in using Kenyan Sign Language has helped Isabella support her class and she's seeing a big improvement.

Photo credit: Amos Gumulira

3. In Battambang, Cambodia, a young girl sits with a book in a newly redecorated school library. Youth volunteers on the ICS programme based in the village have brightened up the space with a painted mural of a tree on the wall in Banteay Char.

4. In Karamoja, Uganda, girls have historically been denied an education, viewed as a source of labour or bride price. Volunteers are training teachers in more than a hundred schools to better support girls through encouragement and improve girls’ motivation to stay in school. They are also improving understanding of girls' rights and child protection issues among the community and with local leaders.

5. In Nepal, poverty, social and cultural traditions hold girls back from attending school. VSO’s Sisters for Sisters project creates ‘big sisters’ role models to mentor and support for ‘little sisters’ who are at risk of dropping out. Adult champions then help those older girls mentor the younger ones. ‘Little sister’ Bhawani Passan has overcome language and societal barriers to remain in school.

6. In Ghana, Yinpoabil, aged nine is all set for her lessons at Gaare Gbani school. Volunteers here support the Tackling Education Needs Inclusively (TENI) project, which brings children with disabilities into education and builds responsive partnerships amongst communities, schools and local government.

7. In Lindi, Tanzania, children study during a class taken by VSO volunteer Paul Jennings and local teacher Rebecca Ngovano. Paul has been working with Rebecca for over six months to improve teaching methodologies in classrooms.

8. In Tanzania, second year auto mechanic student, Swahadi Juma, works on practical assignment in the workshop at the Vocational Education Training Centre. VSO volunteers support the centres as technical advisors.

9. In Kokopo, Papua New Guinea, pupils at Kalamanaganan Primary School follow a lesson. Through VSO' initiative the Language Support Programme (LSP), which has been improving the language course materials for student teachers and college lecturers, volunteer Kate Evans, is working with the education team to help improve the quality of teaching at a teacher training college in East New Britain. She is also using LSP to develop a similar programme for maths and science for trainee teachers. 

10. In India, IBM Volunteer Dora sits with children at Samarthanam Residential school. Sessions include playing songs from around the world and asking children to guess where the song is from. When a winner is announced, everyone dances. Samarthanam empowers children with learning disabilities through educational, social, economic, cultural and technological games and learning methods. 

Educating girls has the power to unleash new potential in communities and transform the world. We’re asking our supporters and friends to celebrate the immense strides being made world over to allow girls access to education.  

 

Latest posts