Your help is needed to make sure no girl is left behind

Thank you for helping to make sure no girl is left behind

VSO/Paul Wambugu

£25 could help provide two school kits to a girl like Florence, including a pencil, ruler and notebook.

£50 could help equip a girl with start-up equipment like sewing machines, hairdryers or carpentry tools.

Paul Wambugu

£100 could help VSO volunteers train teachers who will provide engaging classes at the catch-up centres.

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Girl sat in empty classroom — Only one in four girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete secondary school.

Girls like Celine are forced to leave school. With no education, they have no chance of finding work and building better futures.

More than 50% of children in Kenya are living in poverty, and girls continue to be forced out of school there.¹

In Mozambique, only 39% of girls complete primary school.² Some girls have no choice but to marry, become pregnant and face violence and abuse.

Girls like Celine know all too well about the consequences of being forced out of education.

Celine's story

Celine was 16 when she became pregnant. After giving birth, she wanted to go back to school but her parents refused to support her. They said they had no money to send someone with a child to school. Celine had no other choice.

She got married but a year after, the marriage had ended. At the age of 17, Celine had sole responsibility for caring for her little boy, Edwin. She had to do something to provide for her son.

Celine and her son — Celine with her son, Edwin.

Celine says, "I heard VSO was helping girls that have given birth and have no money to continue their schooling. I decided to come back to my parents’ home and start my education from where I left off.”

Your help is urgently needed to reach more girls like Celine who have been forced out of school.

Thanks to VSO catch-up centres in Kenya and Mozambique, girls like Celine can go back to education and learn reading, writing and maths.

Girls also learn valuable life skills like knowing their rights, taking control of their sexual health, and setting goals for their future.

Building better futures

Once they’ve completed their course in the catch-up centre, many girls go on to do an apprenticeship in a chosen trade.

Girl welding — With VSO, girls can learn how to make a living in a trade of their choosing.

They’re paired up with a local community member who mentors them and teaches them how to run their own small business – they can learn anything from how to sew dresses, to mechanics.

Celine set up her own shop, and now she’s earning money by selling groceries to the local community. Today, the future looks brighter for Celine and her son.

How you can help

Other girls are not so fortunate. We urgently need to reach more girls like Celine and make sure no girl is left behind. Please, donate today.

Donate today