Education is the greatest gift you could ever give any girl-child or young woman. One woman represents ten who will be impacted, represents future children and their children’s children.
Keeping girls in school is the only way to significantly lower the levels of unplanned teenage pregnancy.
The rate of teen pregnancies amongst school children in SA is unacceptably high. Dropping out of school is by far the biggest contributor to teenage pregnancy. It not only increases the risk of pregnancy in girls, but also significantly increases the risk of HIV infection.
More education translates into more choices for further education, greater chance of employment and increased earning power – as well as the ability to make better choices about sexuality in the future!
The School of Hope is known as a second-chance programme. For our dedicated staff, giving young girls the opportunity to complete their schooling is a priority and our God-inspired calling.
Not only are we committed to giving the girls in our communities a second chance at completing their education, but we have taken a stand about pregnant girls at school: that we will value and celebrate the life of every child and every mother who carries that child. We will make it as easy as possible for that girl to complete her education successfully.
The reason we have chosen this approach, is because we believe that a young mother with an education is better for a child than a young mother without an education. The more educated the mother is, the more choices she can make and the more the chance that her child, in turn, will be able to make good choices and reach higher levels of education.
We are committed to breaking the cycle of poverty and despair and to bring hope through education, the only sustainable solution for generational and entrenched poverty amongst the women of this country.
Meet some of our brave mothers, who have chosen to stay in school and make something of their lives:
After completing school, she wants to qualify as a nurse or a social worker.
Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. If you can do one thing to make poverty history, it should be to put a girl through school in your lifetime.
