ELLE IRA À L'ÉCOLE
6 May 2023
Sending girls to school gives them the opportunity to later access a job that will bring them freedom and dignity.
By enrolling them in private schools, they can benefit from quality education and have a chance at a better future.
A good quality education for young girls is one of the major challenges of our generation. International experts all agree that educating a girl can kick-start a lasting circle of development. In countries where women’s education is progressing, infant mortality and excess birth rates are declining and the spread of pandemics is better controlled. An educated woman will in turn educate her children.
In Guinea and the West African sub-region, girls’ education remains a major concern for governments and civil society. According to statistics, the enrollment rate for girls in primary school in 2016 was at 69% and very few have access to secondary school education.
Faced with this crisis, the French-Guinean journalist Folly Bah Thibault with the support of her family, has created Elle Ira à l’école The Kesso Bah Foundation.
31
%
of girls in Guinea
do not attend
primary school
do not attend
primary school
-
More girls than ever go to school
but despite progress,
they continue to face
many barriers.
but despite progress,
they continue to face
many barriers.
130
Million Girls are
out of school globally
out of school globally
-
Nine of the 10 countries
in the world where girls
have the least access to education
are in Africa
in the world where girls
have the least access to education
are in Africa
23
%
OF GIRLS IN GUINEA ARE MARRIED
BEFORE THE AGE OF 15
BEFORE THE AGE OF 15
-
... and 54.6% before the age of 18.
"The education of girls is a major issue for which I wish to commit myself."
Folly Bah Thibault
Meet
Aissatou ET Hadja BAH
Aissatou, 9 years old, Grade 5 - Hadja, 12 years old, Grade 6
Aissatou Lamarana Bah
Aissatou Lamarana Bah
and Hadja Fatouma Bah
One is shy and discreet, the other curious and full of energy but they are inseparable! Aissatou Lamarana and Hadja Fatoumata are sisters. Their mother tries to make ends meet by selling fish in a market in the suburbs of Conakry. But, Diariou who’s hearing impaired, can barely make $5 a day, which is just enough to feed her four daughters. They have all been supported by the Foundation since October 2018.
SUPPORT THEM
Meet
Hawa Sanoh
Hawa, 7 years old, Grade 2
Hawa Sanoh
Hawa is a curious and mischievous little girl! She has been supported by the Foundation since she began primary school in October 2018. She’s the only daughter of Fatoumata Keita, a single mother who survives by doing housework. Our goal is to support Hawa with her studies until she finishes secondary school; this is the best way to make sure she has a career that will bring her success.
SUPPORT HAWA
Meet
KESSO TRAWALY
KESSO, 13 years old, Grade 8
KESSO TRAWALY
Kesso was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone in 2006. When her parents separated, she moved to Conakry in Guinea, where her mother Diwo Barry was born. In Sierra Leone, the Trawaly girls were studying in English. Since Guinea is a French-speaking country, English schools are few and expensive. The Foundation covers Kesso’s school fees at the Sierra Leone International School where she continues her studies in English.
SUPPORT KESSO
OUR ACTIONS
It’s not just about sending children to school, but also making sure they learn how to read, write and count.
This will allow them to have the required standards and gain the right set of skills necessary for life. We pay particular attention to the most vulnerable and marginalised of groups: girls.
At Elle ira à l’école, we are committed to putting and keeping underprivileged girls in school by enrolling them in private schools so they can get the quality education they need and deserve.
OUR FOUR PRIORITY AREAS ARE:
Full Tuition Support
We pay for their primary and secondary
education in a private school
of their choice.
Provide Transportation
We make it easier to attend classes by covering the cost of daily transportation from their home to their school.
Nourishing Our Girls’ Minds and Bodies
Children cannot learn if they do not have enough food to eat. We will cover the cost of their daily school meals.
Career Advice
We help the girls find the job
or career that best suits them.
