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Hello. Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Marina Santee.
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And I’m Ruby Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Fifty girls stand in front of a camera. They all wear the same bright blue school clothes. And they are smiling – happy to be there! These girls are students from a new school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This country is opening many new schools. But this one is different – it is just for girls. Traditionally, fewer girls attend school in Sierra Leone than boys. But this is changing. The girls in the picture have the supplies that they need. They also have the right clothes to wear. And their teaching costs are paid. These girls have all won scholarships! An aid organisation is paying their school costs. The name of the organisation is Batonga. Today we look at education for girls in Africa – and the Batonga Foundation.
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The Batonga Foundation’s aim is to support higher education for girls in Africa. It does this through building schools, giving scholarships and providing school supplies. The group also works to tell communities about the value of education for girls.
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We had not heard the word ‘batonga’ before. This is because someone invented the word! That ‘someone’ was Angelique Kidjo. Angelique is a West African singer and songwriter–. She invented the word when she was a child. She went to school in Benin, West Africa. At that time, most people did not consider girls to be worthy of an education. So, when boys made fun of her – Angelique shouted back at them; ‘Batonga!’!
Angelique later named one of her songs, ‘Batonga.’ For her, the word represents empowerment for girls. Angelique gave the name to the Batonga Foundation. At the launch event she said,
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‘My mother was educated. She fought for me to go to school. She did this even though other people argued that only boys should be educated. And my daughter is now in school. After an African woman is educated, she fights to make sure that both sons and daughters receive an education. From this is born a tradition. It is passed on and grows from family to family – from generation to generation. It is a tradition that is going to change the future for Africa.’
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The Batonga Foundation believes that education can change a whole society and country! Education can improve a woman’s chance of getting a job, earning money and feeding her family. In turn, this will help to reduce the level of poverty. And in the long term, education for boys and girlscan help to bring peace and development in the country.
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Batonga’s work in Sierra Leone is one example. Here, the tragic conflict in 2002 caused severe difficulties in the country. The war did not just destroy people – it also destroyed social structures. This included the educational system. Around seventy percent of the schools were damaged or destroyed during the war. Since then, the government has re–built many schools. It has also made school free for younger children. It plans to make them free for older children too – boys and girls. All this has helped to increase the number of children attending school in Sierra Leone. However, there is still a long way to go before all children are in school. And groups like Batonga are working to help the country move closer to the Millennium Development Goal – education for all by the year 2015!
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Sierra Leone is one of many countries that Batonga works in. Let us meet some Batonga Girls in other countries!
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Nanaissa is from Mali. She has two older brothers, and two younger sisters. In the past, she went to school. But she did not progess well. Nanaissa lacked the books and materials she needed to study. Batonga helped Nanaissa by supplying them. She describes her proudest moment;
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‘It was when I moved from being thirteenth in my class to fifth! The difference was that I did not have all the books or materials at first.’
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Nanaissa dreams of being a doctor one day.
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Reine is from Benin, West Africa. She went to school when she was young. But her family did not have the money to keep supporting her. So they had to send her away. Sadly, Reine’s new carers treated her very badly. They beat her. And so she ran home. Her parents had not known about Reine’s bad treatment. Reine’s old school invited her back. And Batonga gave her a scholarship! This paid for her education at a higher level – something that her parents could never pay for.
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Hana is from Ethiopia. A group called ‘Hope for Children’ helped to pay for her to attend school and receive training. Then the Batonga organisation gave her a scholarship. This was to help pay for her university education. Hana is training to help children with trauma – mental damage caused by severe suffering. She said;
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‘I want to give back to my community by working with children.’
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These are just a few of the girls that Batonga is helping. But Batonga does not work alone. The group works with other organisations in the countries it supports. It also works with the support of another aid group, called ‘World Education’. ‘World Education’ began in nineteen fifty one. Its aim is to improve the lives of the poor. It does this through education and economic and social development programs. In 2007, World Education helped over two thousand girls in twelve African countries go to school.
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Former UN secretary Kofi Annan said, ‘to educate girls is to reduce poverty.’ Educating a woman does not only change her life. It changes the lives of her children and her family. Educating girls provides many gains to people, communities, and countries. These gains include higher economic production, reduced child deaths, improved family health, disease prevention and more.
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Groups like The Batonga Foundation are working to reduce poverty in Africa, by educating women. This is long term development. It is investment – not just aid. As Angelique Kidjo said,
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‘Educating girls in Africa gives them the strength and the tools they need to be the mothers of change.’
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