Look at these beautiful girls dressed in their Sunday best! They are young, filled with hope, ready to go on an outing. They are students at Rock of Ages School. I always wonder how they manage to come looking so clean and pressed. They come from homes with dirt floors and no running water. In fact many of them probably had to fetch water for the day before coming to school, lugging home two five liter jerry cans.
These girls are in grades 5-6. A primary school in Uganda ends at grade 7. Statistically, less than 40% of these girls will finish primary school. And only a few will graduate from secondary school (we call it high school). Betty is trying to change that.
Yesterday Betty took them on a field trip funded by a few of our donors. In Betty's words:
"These girls are so vulnerable, and I am trying to think of ways to encourage them to stay in school. We are planning a fun outing for these girls during the first week of our holiday. We decided on a day of swimming, having fun, playing games, eating ice cream, interacting with each other and a talk encouraging them to stay in school. We talked about it with the girls, and they are excited because for most of them it's going to be their first time to go swimming."
Along with sending pictures, Betty sent this report about "Girls day Out".
" Thank you to all our friends who contributed to this event. We left school at 9 am and ended our day at 5 pm. It has been a long day, but the girls enjoyed it and liked swimming. For most of them it was the first time to swim and to go to such a place.
Thank you all for making a difference in their lives. It was a great experience for us (2 female teachers also attended) talking to the girls outside the school. I have also enjoyed talking to them about staying in school. After my speech, the girls suggested they start up a club/group as a way of telling other girls to stay in school. We liked their idea, so they elected leaders.
Chairperson
Christine
P.6
Vice
C/person
Nisha
P.5
Secretary
Hawa P.6
Treasury Claire
P.5
And the rest, we are members."
