Congratulations. Happy first anniversary to our Africa Educates Her Campaign with Sofonie Dala - Angola

 Changing the lives of rural girls for the better

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Exactly one year ago a the African Union International Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) officially launched its #Africa Educates Her Campaign on 11th September 2020.  It is a campaign to bring awareness around issues that hinder girls and women from accessing education during the COVID 19 pandemic as well as a rallying call for AU Member States, educators, civil society organisations and youth to take positive action that ensures girls return back to school.

Yesterday 20th September 2021, we traveled to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the Africa Educates Her Campaign with girls in rural areas!

Our party went very well, all the girls celebrate this special date with great vigor, dancing, playing and singing. Many girls in rural areas dream of being computer engineers, math teachers and also want to be empowered in the field of science and technology (STEM).

My name is Teresa, I am 14 years old and I want to be a computer engineer. 

It should be remembered that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted education across the world and Africa has not been spared. By the 6th of April 2020, 53 African Union Member States had shut down all institutions of learning as a measure to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, affecting an estimated 250 million students across the continent.

Over 133 million of these students are girls and women, and more than 10 million of them risk not returning to school if we do not take action that guarantees their return.

The other good news that happened on this festive date, the  AU/CIEFFA selected a theme song for the campaign with the title: “I am an African girl”, written by Afrie, a young artist from Uganda. The song was o officially released to the world.

The video is out and the message is clear. Empowering girls is empowering Africa. Educate girls!

Music is an universal language that can be used as a vehicle to transport developmental messages, including the promotion of girls education.

Educating Ladies, key to achieving SDGs. 

As the effort to achieve equality for all women and girls continues, we launched our campaigns to instruct ladies to live a sustainable lifestyle towards climate action, gender equality, nourished and healthy food and social justice for all. Educating girls is an investment that breeds sure socio-economic results. 

Our everyday motto is "If a poor girl cannot come to the education, then education must go to her.''

Many children took a long walk to reach us and learn something from us. Most of these children have never attended a school, others have been facing big challenges in their student journeys due to extreme poverty and some have never returned since the emergence of covid-19 in Angola in March 2020.

Children are sharing their academic experiences

Special song from Marcia

Hello, my name is Marcia, since we are experiencing difficult moments in this pandemic, I will sing a song that has always comforted me.

Jesus died on the cross for me

Jesus died on the cross for me

he was falling and getting up, 

broken he was, 

abandoned by death

even so, he still said Father forgive them 

because they don't know what they do

 Click here to watch the entire season 

Let's remember some our successful campaign ''GIRLS BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER LOCK-DOWN- BY SOFONIE DALA, ANGOLA  2020

The end of the campaign is not the end of the movement, thanks to all spectators, children, students and all who believes and supports our project.

Entry covid-19 song from Vanessa

Report of the campaign  

From August to November 2020, we have been running the great campaign to bring awareness around issues that hinder girls and women from accessing education.

The main objective of ''Girls Back to School After Lockdown Campaign'' is to certify that there is no weak compliance to COVID-19 measures in schools and also to help us understand why children and youth, and especially parents and families, may experience anxiety and concern (as schools reopen)".

Our campaign came to an end, collecting 33 video interviews launched between October - November 2020 with a series of 27 internet broadcast webisodes. Over 30 Angolan students from primary school to higher education were interviewed, participants are aged between 5 to 23 years old. The language we have been working for the campaign is Portuguese. 

Moreover, we recorded three Covid-19 music video, two Covid-19 poems and invited one primary school teacher to give the last interview. The study show that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term effects on students and will impact their education, their mental health and social and emotional well-being. It also show that students and teachers are aware - and 50% of them are afraid - of the virus. 

Students’ experiences of the lockdown period have been very varied. For some, it have been a safe and enjoyable time. For others, it have been challenging or traumatic.

Overall, respondents said the pandemic has already affected their academic performance. Here are some of the main figures:

75% of students said school didn't distribute any bio-safety material to them and the preventive measures against Covid-19 are not being followed. 

65% of students worry they will repeat the grade as a result of COVID-19.

30% of students said they forgot almost everything they studied before school closures.

10% of students said they did not go back to school due to financial inability to pay.

Only 25% of students said they are happy with the conditions created by school in order to prevent them from the Covid-19 pandemic and their schools have been distributing hand sanitizers for them.

Covid-19 poem from Meury

Covid-19 school closures around the world have hit girls the hardest, affecting their education, their rights and their future. In this campaign, we are shining the spotlight on the unique challenges facing girls during the coronavirus pandemic.

Our today's guest is teacher Inacio. He will share with us his experiences during covid-19 pandemic.

Interview with teacher Inacio

Hello! I am professor Inacio Dala. I am a primary school teacher in Angola.

The corona came to end the dream of many Angolans. Corona is a disease that came to prevent any citizen here, and I'm sad because I lost my job.

Since April to the current month, I am not working because the grade I teach is stopped, no one is studying, that is, students from the 5th grade downwards are not studying. Schools are only entitled to assist students from 6th grade upwards. This should not be like this, and it is very sad indeed.

We are ready to teach and guide our students but unfortunately things are not happening as they should. I have been visiting the school constantly on the scheduled days, and each time I find normal conditions that have been very valuable to students. For example, we have buckets of water to wash our hands, we have sanitizer products, we also have a thermometer to check students' temperature.

Did the school distribute any biosafety material to students?

No, in order for school to distribute, firstly the government had to supply the school with these equipment. We received nothing from the government. Our school is state owned. Meaning the school's safety level is low, it is weak.

Can you tell us what are the Covid-19 prevention measures that school has created to ensure the safety of students inside the schools?

We have a general rule that the government orders all institutions to follow. Before entering the classroom, each student must wash their hands with water and soap, the desks inside the classroom are already organized 1 meter apart from each other.

Could you tell us how do you feel in this new phase of post covid-19 education? How is the dynamic of schools in this period?

I'm not happy. Sadness hurts me because it is a disease that is killing lives worldwide. Although the level of death in Angola is not as high as we usually see in the European countries, but it is really very sad.

On the other hand, despite the fact that some students are studying, it is still a detriment to these same students who are studying, because today students study in phases, one week they are at school and the other week they stay at home.

Even the fact of staying at home is already a brainstorming for the students. Since the education in Angola is grotesque and weak, this new beginning shouldn't be like this anymore, holidays after holidays, when it is to study we must really study. But unfortunately, the disease forces us to go as far as we cannot.

After this long interview, professor Inacio told us that he is a gospel singer and decided to sing us a COVID-19 song in an Angolan traditional language "kimbundu". 

Brief considerations

In sum, from the Africa educates her campaign launched in August to the Girls back to school campaign ended in November, more than 60 students including two teachers were interviewed. Educators and students have all expressed concerns about the safety of schools and lack of details as class begin. "It's important to recognize and honor girl's knowledge and insights in their thinking right now."

Most students said they are afraid of the virus but want to return to class and have missed various elements of school, especially seeing friends. A lot of the them we talked to were really aware of the pandemic and of what you need to do to stay safe, and they were worried about other people not following the rules. 

Furthermore, the pandemic has deepened the inequalities between students. Preschool and primary school children have been excluded from quality education in Angola. Many children received no instruction, feedback, or interaction with their teachers. “Children are not taught during this period”. Schools in Angola reopened in early October, the Angolan government postponed the resumption of lessons in primary education (1st to 5th grade), the largest chunk of the education system. The postponement in the Primary Education owed to the increase in Covid-19 positive cases in the country.

So far, Angola’s Covid-19 figures show 13,451 positive cases, 322 deaths, 6,444 recoveries and 6,682 active patients.

 Covid-19 poem in Portuguese- Rosalia

Since July 2020, we have been conducting daily interviews with girls and young ladies across Angola in order to make sure that all the students will return to school after lockdown. 

However, studies shows that After Covid-19, millions of girls may not return to the classroom. The educational consequences of coronavirus will last beyond the period of school closures, disproportionately affecting marginalized girls.

Meet our participants!

Interviews: The Complete Collection 

The school doors reopened in Angola, measures like handwashing stations, physical distancing, mask wearing and temperature checks are being integrated into school life. Here’s a glimpse of what a return to school looks like for students in Angola. 

Please click every links below to watch all the webisodes. From season 1 to season 3

1. The grand finale. Celebrating the completion of Girls back to school campaign: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-grand-finale-congratulations-we-are.html

2. The launch of '' Girls back to school after lockdown camapaign: https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2020/10/we-are-happy-to-announce-new-campaign.html

2021 SEASON 3 OF AFRICA EDUCATES HER CAMPAIGN

3. The launch of season 3

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/12/we-are-back-africa-educates-her.html

4, Successful completion of the Season 3 - https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/01/wow-we-are-celebrating-successful.html

Overview of Africa Educates Her Campaign Angola. Interview with Sofonie Dala. Bonus 2020

COVID-19 lockdown in Angola has had a devastating impact on children and young ladies with 80 percent saying they learned little or nothing during the pandemic. According to the results, 60 percent of the children reported had no contact with teachers at all during and after lockdown.

This short video provides an overview of the challenges and issues that girls in Angola have faced during the COVID-19 related school closures (this include some of the issues the girls we interviewed shared with us) and what actions we have taken as part of the #AfricaEducatesHer campaign to promote girls re-entrance to school.

Hello! We are here again, to give some brief considerations of Africa Educates Her Campaign that was carried out in Angola from August to November 2020.

My name is Sofonie Dala, I am the organizer of the Africa Educates Her Campaign in Angola, which aims to bring awareness around issues that hinder girls and women from accessing education during the COVID 19 pandemic.

This campaign was divided into two stages, during the schools closures and after school reopening. In the first phase we recorded over twenty video interviews and over thirty interviews in the second stage, where students shared with us their fears and challenges during the pandemic and how the covid-19 affected their studies.

The second part of the program we call ''Girls Back to School After Lockdown Campaign'' aiming to certify that there is no weak compliance to COVID-19 measures in schools and also to help us understand why children and youth may experience anxiety and concern (as schools reopen)".

Today I am here with Laura, one of the girls who participated in the interviews, she will talk about her life and how the covid-19 affected her as a student.

Laura's Feedback

Hello, my name is Laura, I am a 12th grader high school student. I am here once again to share with you how covid-19 has affected my academic life. 

The coronavirus affected me a lot in the sense that I stayed a long time without studying (over 6 months). I would like to say that at school we are complying with social distancing and we are following the prevention rules against covid-19.

I also would like to mention that I already forgot some subjects that we studied in the beginning of the academic year, but fortunately, some teachers have been recapping the classes so that we can remember what we have forgotten.

How have teachers behaved? Do they attend classes?

Teachers have been attending classes, but sometimes they enter the classroom in a bad mood fearing to catch the virus.

How is the dynamic at school? Have all students returned to classrooms?

No, not all of them, some students did not return to school because they are afraid of covid-19.

Has your school been following the covid-19 prevention rules?

Yes, they have been checking our temperature with the thermometer, we constantly wash our hands with water and soap and we keep a distance of 1 meter from each other in the classroom.

And what do you think about our campaign? What is the impact that it caused on you?

I really liked the campaign, it gave me an opportunity to express how covid-19 affected me, since this virus affected not only my academic life but other work activities  I use to do.

Click here to watch Laura's first interview

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/10/girls-back-to-school-after-lockdowns_31.html

In addition to what was said above, we distributed some school and bio-safety materials to some of the most vulnerable girls.

Distribution of school and biosafety materials

Click here to watch Ivete's interview

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/09/africa-educates-her-campaign-is-ongoing.html

Click here to watch Flavia's first interview 

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/09/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola.html

Common picture with children

We intended to distribute more materials and reach the rural areas to cover those girls who have been left behind. Unfortunately, due to lack of financial resources, we were unable to reach them this year. But we will do our best to get there next year if we manage to raise some funds to address these challenges.

Click here to see the entire campaign from August to November 2020

1. Celebrating the completion of Girls back to school campaign: 

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-grand-finale-congratulations-we-are.html

2. Celebrating the successful completion of Africa Educates Her Campaign - Angola:

 https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2020/10/congratulations-we-are-celebrating.html

Celebrating the successful completion of Africa Educates Her Campaign - Angola: https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2020/10/congratulations-we-are-celebrating.html

Ladies and gentlemen, meet our singer Dorothea 

''Longing for you in this quarantine''

We continue to call on African leaders in government, business and all other spheres of the African society to safeguard girls right to education in the midst of COVID-19 and other prevailing conflicts/humanitarian crisis contexts that Africa is currently facing.