Africa Educates Her Campaign - Angola. Season 3. Don't Miss Out! Webisode 36

 Our girls back to school campaign is ongoing. Day 36

The pandemic is having a tremendous effect on learning in communities where education is already not a priority, specifically girls ’education. Millions of girls are out of school, most of them adolescent mothers, some divorced or even widowed.

Our today's guest will share with us the impact of covid-19 pandemic on her studies.

We don't know the future of tomorrow, so don't be afraid. Have courage and faith!

Hello, I'm Gracieth Simao, I'm going to talk about how the coronavirus affected my studies.

Gracieth wold you mind telling us how old are you and what is your grade?

I am 15 years old and I study in the fifth grade.

Can you talk about how the coronavirus affected your studies?

Well, when the pandemic arose, we continued to go to school and were studying even with the existence of the coronavirus, but we were not afraid.

After a while my teachers informed us that we cannot continue to study because this disease is going to hurt us and we should always stay at home washing hands with soap and water but we said no, we would like to study at least for a while and then we will stay at home. My teacher is called Antonio.

OK. How long have you been out of school?

6 months.

Since when?

Since March 2020, since then I never went back to school.

But some schools have already reopened, why didn't you go back to school?

My teachers said that we will only go back to school when the coronavirus will pass.

Didn't the teachers show up at school too?

No. They were very afraid and we were also afraid. Then our teachers started to run away, they left the school to stay at home.

In this period that you are at home, have you done anything to continue learning?

Well, in the beginning I studied a little, but then I got bored and abandoned my studies.

Would you like to go back to school?

Yes I would like to but my teachers said it will not be possible anymore.

Can't you go to study somewhere else?

If someone comes to help me and offers me the opportunity to study at another school I would appreciate it.

So, do you have financial difficulties to go to study elsewhere?

I think so.

Have you been following the preventive measures against the coronavirus?

Yes I do.

What are the preventive measures against the coronavirus?

hand-washing every day, when you go out to play and pick up something on the ground you should also wash your hands. For example, we prefer to play a bottle with sand than stay at home so we should always wash our hands with soap and water.

Aren't you afraid of the coronavirus?

We must not be afraid, we have to be faithful and pray to God always at home in order for him to help us overcome this disease.

We don't know the future of tomorrow, so don't be afraid. Have courage and faith!

School has long been a safe haven for vulnerable girls. A lot needs to be done in these communities in terms of quality of and access to education, and COVID-19 worsens a situation that is already bad. After this period of pandemic, statistics will surely show an increased number of school dropouts by adolescent girls due to forced marriages and teenage pregnancies.

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We launched this campaign to ensure that every girl is able to learn while schools are closed and return to the classroom when schools safely reopen. Everyone can play a role in supporting girls education - whether you are a teacher, parent, student, journalist, policymaker, or simply a concerned citizen.

Don't miss this opportunity to bring girls back to school. Tell us your story!

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus would you like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the poverty among women?

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