Give a Girl a Chance: Help Educate Tanzanian Girls

Since our last update to you all in November, the Lyra team have busy implementing the Lyra projects to help more rural girls keep safe and learning in the Lyra green hostels and supporting rural students to access digital education through our digital learning program in rural schools. We are excited to share the following updates with you all since our last update

• Lyra handed over one more girls hostel this January to the communities around Maduma ward, meaning we now have 13 eco friendly, green hostels, providing a heaven for rural girls to live and complete their studies. These hostels are transformative in a girls ability to complete her secondary education. In rural Tanzania, education infrastructure is typically poor and transportation to schools is non-existent. Rural students walk up to 20 kms to get to school and the only alternative available is to live in unsafe accommodations known as “ghetto” rooms, that put girls into very vulnerable situations. With access to hostel living, these rural girls no longer have to walk long distances to and from school, and can safely live in a “girls only” hostel attached to a rural secondary school in a supportive and protective community. This year over 1,500 rural girls have a safe place to live and learn, and critically complete their secondary education through the Lyra hostels. With your support we have been able to ensure that these girls have comfortable rooms, with mattress and blankets and access to clean drinking water through LifeStraw devices. We have been able to provide vital additional support to the poorest, most marginalized rural girls, to stay in the hostels, and access wholesome food three times each day.

• Our digital learning program continues to be rolled out to more partner government schools, transforming rural education from chalk board to digital learning. This intervention represents a significant transition that will equip generations of students with the skills they will need to compete in the future work force. This week the team are in the process of installing Lyra’s 5^th computer lab at Ifwagi Secondary School, and within the month will be installing Lyra’s first solar powered computer lab at Maduma Secondary School. The team are rolling out after school ICT classes to further boost students, particularly girls technical skills and fluency. With your support we have been able to train more teachers and digital mentors on how to use the computers for learning, to then support the students in the schools to access off line education content to support their learning.

We are inspired about the change we have seen through Lyra’s programs. We see the transformational impact these interventions are having on individual rural girl’s ability to complete their education, stay safe, and excel in their education. And it is only through your generous support that we have been able to make these strides forward.

We are positive and ambitious about the future for the next generation of rural girls in Tanzania. However, the need and requests from the local communities to do more are endless. But we can only meet these growing needs with the help from supporters like yourself. Through your fantastic generosity, we are so close to meeting our campaign goal! Could you help us reach our target? Or do you know someone who may be able to?

Every donation helps to transform rural girls, and their communities futures.

Thank you as always for your continued support to Lyra and the rural communities in Tanzania.