Reaching for the Stars: A Girl's Road Back to School in Yobe

Fatima, 13, lives in Damagum, Fune LGA, Yobe State. Her parents had no formal education, could barely afford two meals a day and saw schooling for a girl as a waste of money. So Fatima hawked goods and did chores in other people's homes to help support her siblings.

Then Girls for Girls (G4G), a UNICEF programme delivered with Life Helpers Initiative and funded by KfW, came to the only government primary school in her community, promoting girls' education through quality learning in a safe environment and life skills that help girls overcome everyday challenges.

On her hawking rounds, Fatima would slip into Dogon Rijiya Primary School to watch the pupils learning and singing G4G songs.

"Hearing them sing and speak in English amused me, but being able to sing and speak a few words like them makes me feel bigger and better."

She found the courage to tell her parents she wanted to go back to school, promising to keep up her duties at home and to hawk after school. Her father agreed. The transition wasn't easy, but with determination, patience and her parents' support, Fatima is now a lively member of the G4G group in her school.

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G4G activities this quarter included quarterly review meetings with G4G reading facilitators, monthly review meetings with G4G mentors, a spelling bee and reading festival, supportive supervision for G4G and He4She, and the biannual G4G radio programme.

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