June 10, 2013 – Iftin Foundation (IF) has launched Somalia’s first schoolgirls’ competition. The program will run during the month of Ramadan (July 10 – August 6, 2013). It is attended by 224 schoolgirls from 32 of Mogadishu’s most popular secondary schools.
As the first of its kind, the program will inspire girls to stay in school, compete for prizes, learn from each other, and make sure they graduate school with the knowledge that enables them to help themselves, families and society.
The objectives of these projects include:
- To improve the knowledge of the schoolgirls;
- To give exclusive space to female secondary school students who normally would not have got much space at national quizzes, organized by media outlets in Somalia;
- Create an atmosphere where schoolgirls can network, and cross any kid of borders;
- To showcase the talents of the female students and help the public recognize that girls can learn and perform as much as boys;
- The program will pave the way for more female participation in national school quizzes to be organized in the future;
- The program will serve as a platform for introduction among girls in secondary school education.
- The program will also deliver other messages to girls, including issues related to their health, FGM, the importance of education, early marriage, etc.