She Leads Angola - Hybrid educational Platform dedicated to making women's and girls' stories more visible
This platform is dedicated to inspiring females and helping them to achieve fulfilment and success. This platform has the main objective to register and manage all out of school girls and women.
We use research and data to learn about women’s lives and challenges so that we can help create a more equal society.
We have made some significant progress - in just 1 year - and have now reached a pivotal moment, not just in our journey but in the need to get back to work - to create economic recovery and meet UN SDG goals around diversity and inclusion. This is the year we must focus on evidence-based action, driving change which can improve the positive influence, economic impact and under capitalised value of women, rights across society.
In 2020 and 2021, The platform She Leads Angola began its most ambitious and ground-breaking research to date, to explore why, after decades of legislation, gender equality in education, control over fertility and massive shifts in gender norms, women have still not achieved equal pay and progression in the workplace.
Our new research will involve quantitative, qualitative and large scale social media data analysis. In collaboration with our research partners, we are analysing women's working lives, touching on the different dimensions of Work, Money, Relationships, Society and Self, that all in varying degrees, contribute to the persistence of women's under-representation in senior positions in the workplace. "
So, by sharing many stories of diverse women from across the world who have achieved interesting and amazing things at a young age or a later stage in their life, girls and women can study how they did it, they can take inspiration and turn this into their own journey. They can learn to take the lead in their own lives.
If they do this, industry and government will benefit, not just philosophically or morally but financially. Keeping women at work longer, bringing them back to work after maternity, encouraging them to aim for a bigger role, all of this will deliver billions if not trillions to the economy.
Sofonie Dala started The She Leads Angola as a campaign that celebrates women's stories and the impact of covid-19 in their academic life, and showcases the lesser-known successes of women and girls, in order to support and encourage the next generation.
Sofonie created this platform to work across a variety of platforms; through short films, its social media content is reaching millions followers worldwide and an educational programme in over 1000 schools and universities.
The future is uncertain and women want to see more than just stories - they are looking for answers to big questions; they want advice and guidance. If we are to rebuild our economy after Covid19, lets indeed built it better. Let’s make women more empowered at work so that more stay in careers longer and more rise to the top!
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 th 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).
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
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
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
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
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.
1. Celebrating the completion of Girls back to school campaign:
https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-grand-finale-congratulations-we-are.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''
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