Tanzania: Sister speaks on importance of girls' education

Image: World Villages for Children

World Villages for Children, a charity whose mission is ending poverty through education, marks International Women's Day 2025, which takes place this Saturday, with Sister Abigail from Kisarawe Girlstown, Tanzania.

Sister Abigail highlights how gender inequality is still a determining factor in Tanzania, as to whether or not a girl child can complete school. She spoke about how lack of education affects girls' lives and long-term prospects.

"I can feel a sense of inferiority in them and because of that mentality, they also have like the feeling that inferiority complex. We have to struggle to address this challenge in order for them to feel that we support them, that we value them and that we are willing to empower them by helping them to be confident. So, we provided not only academics, but also skills. And we are also organizing extra-curricular activities where they can learn teamwork, leadership, and also to learn self-confidence which they really needed to change their mindset also and they can be a source of hope also for girls out there who are also facing the same challenges" - Sr Abigail

The Sisters observe that girls' futures are limited in the poorest Tanzanian communities where they have low to no access to secondary school and there are still expectations on young women to adhere to traditional gender roles with no option to work outside of the home or have a career and income of their own.

In the Sisters of Mary school, these girls see a transformation in their lives. Their minds are opened to how to create a better and safer society for women in Tanzania. The girls not only receive quality education and care while in school with the Sisters of Mary, but they also learn about their rights as women. Kisarawe Girlstown puts together a mock election to teach the girls about governance and how they can participate in public life and use their voices.

They learn about their right to vote and how to participate fully in society, empowering them to have a say in the public life of their communities. They become advocates, to help other women and spread the education about women's rights. They learn about their value, which improves their self-confidence and positions them as beacons of hope for other girls facing the same challenges.

To address the inequality of access to education that holds girls back, World Villages for children and the Sisters of Mary visit the most rural and underserved communities, where access to quality education for girls is lowest, to provide them with the opportunity for the full-time quality education and care that they need to thrive.

· 92,579 girls have graduated from the Sisters of Mary programmes to date

· 11,549 of the nearly 20,000 children in the Sisters of Mary programmes in 2025 are girls

· Globally 122 million girls are out of school (UNESCO Education Estimates)

· Over half of the global out-of-school population (51%) are in Sub-Saharan Africa

· A child's survival beyond five years old increases by 31% when a mother has a high school degree, compared to no education (Children International)

Education improves girls' futures. When a girl completes secondary education, the likelihood of early and forced marriage falls, and her earning potential goes up. A place at school gives her safety from gender-based violence in the community and relieves her of the domestic burden of care expected of young girls in the home, allowing her to focus on learning and completing school.

World Villages for Children (WVC) supports the humanitarian programmes of the Sisters of Mary who have established schools - the majority of which are live-in schools - for the most vulnerable children worldwide. They provide them with access to food, healthcare and shelter as well as quality accredited education and vocational training tailored to the skill needs of the local economy. World Villages has 13 secondary schools, one elementary school, five day-care centres, three medical centres, and one training centre for out of school young women. These programmes operate in The Philippines, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, and Tanzania.

For the full interview with Sister Abigail, please see: www.worldvillages.org.uk/iwd/

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