“I can be a leader!”
Mary Jonas attends mentorship sessions with GLAMI, She’s the First’s partner in Tanzania. Only 39% of girls in Tanzania go to secondary school. Of those, only two-thirds complete their secondary education, and only 3% go on to university.
With support from you and She’s the First, GLAMI is working to change those outcomes, one girl at a time.
Mary Jonas has learned 3 key lessons from her mentorship sessions at GLAMI:
What would you have given to have learned those lessons by age 15?
My mentorship lessons at GLAMI gave me the courage to know I can be a leader regardless of my age.
The mentors have a special heart, they support us with so much love and care. It makes me feel at peace. They give us space to express ourselves. There are some things that we can more freely share with our mentors than at home. I love the way they tell us we can even send them letters if we can't really express ourselves to them face to face.
She’s the First partners with grassroots organizations to make sure girls everywhere are respected, educated, and heard.
A GLAMI mentor leads a Binti Shupavu mentorship session. (photo by Pascal Arrey)
My mentorship lessons changed my academic performance completely. Before, I had no self-motivation to study, no goals or dreams. My mentor asked me, ‘Where will you be after finishing school?’
Challenged by her mentor, Mary Jonas buckled down in school to improve her grades. “I’m proud of myself. My future dream is to become a midwife. I want to be able to help women give birth safely.”
Girls with dreams become women with vision. Through mentorship, Mary Jonas has found her voice; she has a plan for the future and the support she needs to achieve it. This shouldn’t be rare, but it is for many girls around the globe.
If you haven’t made your gift to empower girls yet this giving season, will you chip in now?
Your support ensures girls everywhere can say, I’m proud of myself. I have a dream. I can be a leader.