We are pleased to announce that all 24 kids in this years class have graduated!
Last week, MaOhJo School held their 3rd annual 6th grade graduation ceremony. A 6th grade graduation may not seem like a big deal to most people, but in this area, a 6th grade education is higher than 99 percent of the people in their community.
In fact, most of these kids are the first in their entire family to ever receive any type of formal education at all.
It is because of this that we celebrate the amazing feat that these young children have accomplished.
In a remote area where education is not a priority, girls are pressured into getting married rather than graduate, and children are needed by their parents to help in the fields; getting them to understand the importance of an education is challenging.
Standing on that stage, these 24 kids have set a huge example for everyone in their community. Slowly but surely, things are starting to change. The importance of education is being realized, and it’s a great thing to see entire communities come together and support these children.
After the completion of primary school, the students must decide if they would like to continue their education. This is not an easy decision, as it involves leaving their village to go to the closest town, which is about a half a days walk. However, ITDP staff, teachers, and even our volunteers, strongly try to encourage the long term opportunities of education. For children wishing to continue on past 6th grade, ITDP helps support them by providing funds for boarding, food, and school. It’s our mission, in the near future, for MaOhJo school to extend to the 12th grade level.
“Having an education means that I will be able to help provide for me and my family in the future. I’m so thankful for being able to go to school with my sister, within walking distance of our village.”
For the class of 2015, 22 out of 24 students have decided to continue their education! We couldn’t be more excited for the new opportunities that await them.
If you would like to support a child and become apart of building the MaOhJo community, please consider a donation.
