As can be ascertained from the title, its that time of year again. The office has been abuzz and filled with parents and pupils either registering on the sponsorship program for the first time, like those adorable Grade one pupils that are so excited to be at the beginning of their education journey; or the more weathered Grade 8 and (former Grade 7 pupils who sat and passed their Junior Secondary exams last year) as well as the new Grade 10’s who sat for their exams last year as well. In Zambia, Grade 7, 8 and definitely Grade 12 are major exam grades. We were happy to see so many of our girls pass and return to come and collect uniforms as well as school requirements.

The parents and guardians of these children are a vital component in making a success of the sponsorship “kubala girls” program. They were also on hand at the office for orientation and to sign the contracts between themselves and Response Network. Orientation included a talk about the do’s and don’t that are stipulated and also what is expected from them as parents or guardians and what the role of RN is in the grand scheme of things. Its important for us to work hand in hand as the end goal for us all is to facilitate the education of these girls and give them a better chance at succeeding in life, an opportunity that they may not have had at all if it weren’t for this program.

The other exciting part has been seeing the kubala girls alumni come through to the office to hand in their applications for the newly launched skills training program. Its not often that girls can finish school and afford to endeavor into tertiary education or even manage to basically further their education, which leaves them more vulnerable to all kinds of societal evils, which is what makes this program, which is another Academic Work of Sweden partnership, all the more important. The girls got to choose from a number of courses including plumbing; auto mechanics, catering, carpentry and some others.

The skills training girls also swung by to be oriented and to also pick up some of their more basic school requirements. Smiles were abounding and it really was a sight to behold. The girls eagerly chatted away with one another trying to ascertain who had picked which course and about how exciting the courses will be. We’ll be following up on this in blog posts to come so keep  your eyes peeled for that.

Thank you for reading.

*Pictures will be posted soon