OUR IMPACT

Building a brighter future for Tanzanian girls

287 Students

Educated at the SEGA Girls’ School every academic year.

182 graduates

Enrolled in continuing education supported by the Continuing Education Scholarship Program.

97% of graduates

Go on to continuing education.

1,873 GIRLS

Reached in 29 communities through the Modern Girl Community Outreach Program

What Does Success Look Like?

Transformation through Education: Jenifa’s Story

In 2011, when Jenifa was 14 years old, she was thrilled to be a part of the SEGA community and grateful for not only the quality education she received, but also for the basic services and necessities that SEGA provided.

It wasn’t just her career aspirations that changed as Jenifa progressed through SEGA. Jenifa’s entire life story changed as she sought leadership opportunities and worked toward building a strong future in which she could become independent.

In 2015, Jenifa graduated from SEGA. She moved on to A-levels through the support of SEGA’s Continuing Education Scholarship Program. Upon graduating from A-levels, Jenifa began her degree at the University of Dar es Salaam, again supported by the Continuing Education Scholarship Program.

In 2021, Jenifa proudly graduated from university with a Bachelor’s degree in Art, Geography, and Environmental Studies. A few months after graduating, Jenifa began working as a Postgraduate Officer at SEGA. SEGA has inspired her to give back to her community and her nation, so that she can have a positive impact on others.

Educating the Future of Tanzania: Evelyne’s Story

Evelyne experienced many challenges during her childhood. When she learned about SEGA Girls’ Secondary School from a local ambassador in 2011, her life began to change. Becoming a SEGA student set Evelyne on the path for success. She was one of the few students in her class who pursued the science track, and she excelled academically. She also participated in extracurricular activities at SEGA, including the Business Club team, where she learned the skills needed to run a small business. She graduated in 2015, empowered and excited for the next steps in her educational journey.

After graduating from SEGA, Evelyne enrolled in Kandoto Girls High School, where she studied Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. After graduation, she enrolled at Bugando Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences and pursued a Bachelor's degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. At the start of her university journey, Evelyne faced challenges. She learned how to balance her school work with her social life and how to cooperate and interact with different people, which are skills that will serve her well for life. Evelyne graduated in October 2021 and is now a Medical Laboratory Scientist. She is currently interning with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center.

Evelyne expresses her heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to SEGA and Nurturing Minds for their work to educate and empower Tanzanian girls and young women.

Monitoring and Evaluation

SEGA monitors the overall success and progress of the school by tracking the accomplishments of its students, which are key indicators of the school's success at all levels. Over the long-term, SEGA will measure four key program indicators of overall impact of its work to improve the quality of life of the SEGA graduates.

Targets:

90% of SEGA graduates have income or a standard of living that places them above the national poverty line 10 years after graduation.
At least 95% of SEGA students delay childbearing until age 22 or older.
More than 60% of SEGA graduates exercise their voice and lead positive change in their homes and communities.
100% of SEGA graduates are enrolled in higher education institutions, have paying jobs, or are profiting from their own businesses 5 years after graduation.

Since 2013, SEGA has graduated ten classes of students, with very high pass levels and currently 97% of students each year go on to continuing education programs. An example of these programs are nursing, teaching, business administration, non-profit management, and A-levels, which is an additional two years of advanced level high school required to enter university. 65 graduates are currently enrolled in university.

SEGA Report Card

The progress and accomplishments reported through the SEGA Report Card are indicators of the school’s success at all levels including: academic performance, pass rates, personal development, personal stability, welfare of the student after graduation, financial success and independence as the student earns a living, societal impact as students pursue careers, further their education, raise their own families with newly learned skills, awareness and confidence instilled through their education at SEGA.

Achieving the United Nation’s 2030
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

SEGA has 15 years of experience working with marginalized Tanzanian girls and has created several programs that address the needs of girls at different stages of their lives. Anchored around a girls’ boarding school serving 280+ girls each year SEGA offers a holistic curriculum in a safe environment.

From 2013-2022, out of 424 SEGA graduates 392 were pursuing higher education degrees, 14 had paying jobs in the formal employment sector, and 19 had their own business.

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

The SEGA Girls' Business Development Program is currently reaching 34 SEGA and Modern Girl graduates. The program teaches graduates how to generate and control their own income through the development of local, profitable, small businesses, and provides young women with training in business skills topics including business plan development and continued mentoring. SEGA also empowers students to become fully engaged in the tourism sector to lead in tourism and hospitality-related enterprises through Hospitality courses and visitor-hosting student programs.

The Modern Girl program reaches almost 1,873 girls ages 10-25 in 29 communities and will be expanded to 45 communities by 2026 with potential to impact more than 2,000 girls per year.

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Numerous studies have shown that there is a powerful link between educating girls and reducing the negative effects of climate change. Specifically, slowing population growth has been identified as a key factor in slowing climate change. Providing girls with comprehensive sexual reproductive health and rights education - as SEGA does - empowers girls to take charge of their own family planning decisions and gives them the knowledge they need to choose how many children to have and when. Providing girls with climate education also shapes girls into future leaders who can advocate for climate justice, enter green careers, and make environmentally sustainable decisions for their families, communities, and society at large.

Here are some of the ways that SEGA takes action to combat climate change:

SEGA has an environmentally sustainable campus that runs on solar power, as well as a rainwater catchment system that provides water to students, staff, and visitors for part of the year.
Students participate in poultry rearing, which provides protein for school meals.
Students also learn organic gardening; 42% of the produce consumed by students and staff is grown in the SEGA garden.
SEGA operates a composting system, recycles, and aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic.
SEGA students participate in the Tembo Club and learn about the effects of wildlife poaching and how to combat it.
69 SEGA students participated in the 2023 STEM Adventures at SEGA Program and learned about climate change and action.
Through SEGA's Modern Girl Community Outreach Program, community girls and young women living without electricity in rural Tanzania receive solar lamps and education on renewable energy.
The SEGA Visitor House is on a 3-year sustainability plan to become a carbon-neutral travel option for all visitors by reducing its carbon footprint in the transport and accommodation sector.

Study Abroad

The Study Abroad Program provides an opportunity for students or graduates to apply for a chance to travel to the United States. SEGA faculty choose two students who demonstrate leadership skills, excellent behavior, a proven affinity for the English language, and openness to new experiences.

The goal of the program is threefold:

Enroll the girls in an intensive English program to strengthen their language skills.
Introduce them to a different culture.
Give supporters an opportunity to meet students.

The environmentally sustainable 30-acre campus has 25 solar-powered buildings, organic gardens, and a renewable water supply that includes a rainwater capture system.

Our Progress

2007

Attained 23 acres of land in Morogoro, Tanzania and formed the SEGA non-profit organization.

2008

7 acres of land donated to SEGA by the local community. Nurturing Minds receives non-profit status in the U.S. and the first 30 girls enrolled at SEGA in a borrowed classroom.

2009

First dormitory and classroom constructed on SEGA’s campus along with a well and water tower with a solar-powered pump.

2010

28 boarders and 30 day students begin. Installed first solar panels and batteries on campus buildings and a second classroom block, a small solar-powered computer room and a dining pavilion built.

2011

A challenge grant from USAID/ASHA helped fund an additional classroom, 3 dormitories and 2 staff houses. School run businesses were developed with a partnership from Fundacion Paraguaya to provide training for students and school funding.

2012

SEGA educates 148 board students, launched its first school-run business, a poultry farm and installed a rainwater capture system.

2013

Awarded $1 million challenge grant by USAID/ASHA for 2 dormitories, 2 staff houses, an infirmary, and a multi-purpose building with laboratories, library, and computer suite. 180 students now boarding at SEGA with its first Form 4 graduation held.

2014

Installation of solar panels and batteries for new buildings. 5 students attend the first East African Girls Leadership Summit in Kenya. The Career Development Program started with internships and scholarships for continuing education.

2015

Campus expanded to 22 buildings. The Anti-Ivory Club visits national park to learn about the battle against poachers and declining elephant population. SEGA Lodge opens to house short-term volunteers and visitors. SEGA was awarded the title of “Ashoka Changemaker School”. The English Fluency Program started with 14 U.S. teachers and volunteers, and the US Study Abroad Program started bringing 2 SEGA students to Boston for 5 weeks.

2016

SEGA Grad accepted to the prestigious African Leadership Academy in South Africa. SEGA Students participate in One Billion Rising dance against violence toward women and girls. SEGA students reach 100% pass rate. New Community Outreach Program in rural communities – “Modern Girl” is started to teach SEGA’s life skills program in communities across Tanzania. New Tourism Operations Program started to train girls in hospitality and generate income.

2017

250 students educated at SEGA. The Modern Girl Community Outreach Program expands to include 10 communities through Tanzania and reaches 200 girls. A student-led newsletter launched highlighting life at SEGA through the students’ eyes. The SEGA guest lodge hosts hundreds of volunteers and visitors per year. The campus grows with the completion of a newly renovated kitchen, second water cistern, and installment of more solar panels and batteries.

2018

Nurturing Minds and SEGA celebrated their 10 year anniversary and launched a $5 million endowment campaign, “Putting the Future in Her Hands”, with $2.6 million in pledges to date.

2019

The Modern Girl Program expanded its reach to 450 girls in communities throughout Tanzania.

2020

The SEGA Girls’ School, now ranked in the top 7% of schools nationally, achieved highest national exam results to date despite a 3.5 month closure due to COVID. Successful implementation of COVID interventions with 100% of staff and students remained healthy.

2021

Phase 1 of our endowment campaign, Putting the Future in Her Hands, reached its goal of raising $5 million. Phase 2 was launched with the goal of raising an additional $5 million and has already raised $2.5 million toward our overall $10 million goal.

2022

We launched a pilot program with the German-based solar organization, Little Sun Solar, from July 2022 through September 2022. Through this program, 360 MK girls and young women living without electricity in the rural Mvuha District (Morogoro Region) of Tanzania received solar lamps and climate education.

2023

Increasing SEGA’s Inclusivity - We are excited to share that three bright, motivated girls living with spina bifida joined SEGA as Form 1 students in January 2023. All three girls have complex medical needs due to spina bifida and failed surgeries, which made it difficult for them to find a secondary school placement; they are thrilled to have the opportunity to attend SEGA. In Tanzania, children with disabilities are stigmatized, discouraged from attending school, and hidden away by their families. SEGA has the necessary facilities and resources in place so that these three girls can thrive, and hopes to enroll and provide a safe and accessible school environment to more girls with disabilities in the coming years.