KEEP A GIRL IN SCHOOL

Education is critical to a girl’s future, yet many girls drop out simply because they can’t afford feminine hygiene products or the fees to go to school. So, at the beginning of 2020, we expanded the number of schools we partnered with for our Keep a Girl in School initiative to 56 schools—35 in northern Uganda and 21 in South Sudan. Yet, as we began to increase the number of girls we were reaching, the pandemic caused school closures that temporarily shifted our efforts. While schools were closed, we kept our Neighbourhood Center in Juba open and distributed sanitary packs to the girls from there. We also provided ongoing discipleship and counseling to over 7,300 girls, helping ensure they continued to feel supported and surrounded by the love of Christ during such a challenging season. As schools slowly opened in the later months of 2020, through our Keep a Girl in School initiative, 838 girls in Uganda and 1,416 girls in South Sudan completed their primary school national exams. This means these girls now have a better chance of staying in school and going on to graduate high school. Your support is not only ensuring girls receive an education, but it’s changing their future—and we’re forever grateful.