Amplify Girls Education &Innovation Fund | Binti Shupavu | 21st December 2023

Levina, a determined year 2 Binti Shupavu Scholar, aspires to become a nurse one day. With strong dedication to her studies, Levina now consistently arrives earlier for classes than before, setting a shining example for her peers. But Levina’s school journey had been marked by challenges that she had faced with remarkable strength.

Levina’s school journey took a turn when she expressed her need for school hostel accommodation by writing a letter to her Mentor, Asha Gama. After making the request to her Mentor and her father’s continuous communication with her Mentor on the same request , Levina was recommended to our Social Worker for continuous followup and assistance. This marked the beginning of a transformative path that  impacted Levina’s school life and future dreams.

Upon intervention by the Social Worker, a call was made to Levina’s parents. Their words expressed sincere appreciation and support for their child’s education, saying, “We highly value Education and wish to support our child. Unfortunately, financial challenges prevent us from covering Levina’s school hostel accommodation. We fear the distance she walks and challenges she faces from it might lead to her dropping out from school. Nevertheless, we remain committed to supporting her Education by providing scholastic materials and meeting her needs.” Levina’s parents, despite their economic challenges, remained committed in their support for their child’s Education.

After the Social Worker had one-on-one sessions with Levina, it became clear that she was facing additional challenges like the lack of school lunch which made it hard for her to focus in class because of an empty stomach whilst walking over 9 to 11 kilometers from her home to school daily, which caused her to arrive late, tired, and unable to concentrate in class. This resulted in poor performance and thoughts of giving up  school. The lack of school lunch added to her exhaustion especially during afternoon sessions. To better understand her challenges and determine how we could support her, Social Workers conducted a home visit to Levina’s home.

Knowing about Levina’s family’s financial challenge that affected her school life, the visit led to a plan where her parents, the school administration and GLAMI could work together to support Levina. They decided that Levina needed to be accommodated at the school hostel to meet all her needs at school and increase her school attendance and participation.

This journey to uplift Levina took several critical steps. It started with one-on-one sessions with Levina, followed by a collaborative effort involving the Ward Education Officer (WEO) and the school administration to locate her family. Home visits provided invaluable insights, which ultimately led to a meeting with the Head of School to discuss cost-sharing and support mechanisms for Levina, where the school supported Levina by reducing the hostel accommodation cost. Her parents too, despite financial instability were able to support their child to be a hostel Scholar as they provided all scholastic materials needed including mattress and bedsheets, while GLAMI through the Amplify Girls Education and Innovation Fund supported her by paying  all the cost for her school hostel accommodation.

The impact of these efforts has been profound. Now Levina is a boarding Scholar who no longer faces challenges she had before and her academic performance has seen a remarkable improvement, moving from Division IV to Division III and improving daily. The stability provided by hostel accommodations has given her the time and space needed for personal study, including those early morning revision sessions she used to miss due to her long journey. Now she attends early in class, has all the needed scholastic materials and has enough time for personal studies.

Levina’s story is a testament to the transformative power of collaboration, empathy, and determination. Through the collective efforts from our Partners – Amplify Girls, Partner School Administration, Parents and our Staff – Mentors and Social Workers, dreams are not just being nurtured, but empowered to flourish against all odds. As Levina’s journey continues, she serves as an inspiration, showing that resilience and support can change lives and create a brighter future for all.

*Due to child protection policies, it’s important to clarify that the name ‘Levina’ used in this story is not her actual name. We have changed her name to safeguard her identity.*