Dubai: Thirteen-year-old Julia based in Mozambique was in danger of dropping out of school due to lack of money to pay her school fees and lack of transport, a common scenario among school kids in her district.
Thanks to help from philanthropic organisation Dubai Cares, Julia and her friends can now pursue secondary education despite the odds they face.
Mozambique has faced serious developmental challenges following a long civil war. Nearly 55 per cent of the Mozambique population lives below the official poverty line. It is also ranked near the bottom on the gender inequality index and there is a considerable legacy of violations of women’s and girls’ rights.
Julia was one of them. Her parents died a few years ago. She is the principal caretaker of her brother and grandmother on top of her responsibilities at home — cleaning the house, cooking for the family, among others. For a child, these responsibilities could be overwhelming, especially since he or she has to spend time in school as well.
Julia was in danger of dropping out of school after finishing primary school due to their economic situation. The long walk to school was also a problem. Thanks to the Dubai Cares-funded programme called AMOR, Julia was able to advance to secondary school.
Julia was chosen on a set of criteria agreed with the community and approved by the school management. This included priority for orphaned children and households with high socio-economic vulnerability. The scholarship covers school fees, books and materials, as well as transport costs for a bicycle and repairs for the duration of three years for 4,825 girls and young women in selected communities in Jangamo district.
Through the scholarship, Julia will be able to continue her studies so she can pursue her dream of becoming a nurse and being able to support her family.
“I want to be able to help my family. I am excited to start secondary school,” she said.
To combat these issues and institute positive change, Mozambique has identified gender equality as an important development consideration, as reflected in official policy priorities, participation of women leadership roles etc. With the help of global development organisations such as Dubai Cares, the country is taking major strides in this area as well.
