120 Girls Are Back in Class This Term

When we designed Keep Her in School, the assumption was that fees were the whole problem. They were not. The termly data told a more specific story: the girls who dropped out were rarely the ones who could not pay — they were the ones who missed four or five days a month and never caught up.

So the programme changed shape. Fees remained, but dignity kits and a named mentor became non-negotiable parts of every placement. A mentor who notices an absence in week one prevents the absence that becomes a withdrawal in week six.

This term, retention across all six partner schools reached 96%. Nine girls needed additional intervention; seven are back in class. We are publishing the shortfall alongside the success because the shortfall is where next term's work is.