Following up with 2013 SEGA Graduates

SEGA Graduates Adjusting Well at their New Schools

Recently Pauline, Life Skills Coordinator/SEGA Teacher and Carolyn, Art & Environment Volunteer, paid visits to SEGA’s 2013 graduates. Pauline and Carolyn traveled all over Tanzania to check-in on the girls at the various schools and programs that they are now attending. During these visits Pauline and Carolyn caught up with the graduates, learned what they were enjoying and the struggles they were having. They also talked with the girls’ teachers to gauge academic performance and general well-being. The goal of these trips was to show SEGA graduates continued support and evaluate what areas SEGA can improve upon in order to make transitions to secondary schools easier for the students.

While it is difficult to generalize all of these individual visits, Carolyn summarized their trip as follows:

These follow-up trips with SEGA graduates were overwhelmingly positive.  From our first visit with the girls studying in Iringa, the thing that most impressed me was the girls’ excitement upon seeing Pauline.  We hadn’t told any of them that we would be coming to visit and, as soon as they saw her, their faces lit up.  They were so excited to see her and I think it really showed them that people at SEGA still care about them and that we want to see them succeed and perform well.  The overwhelming majority of students we visited had the same reaction.  They were thrilled to show us around their school, introduce us to their teachers and new friends, and talk to us about the differences between SEGA and their current school life.  

When asked about their advice for current SEGA students, many of the graduates responded similarly– encouraging students to study hard and to realize that they are very fortunate to have the resources that they do at SEGA.  Many of the girls also mentioned that SEGA had really helped them buildthe  confidence to participate in classes and the skills necessary to live well with others.  In fact, one of the teachers we talked to even commended our students for their participation, saying that he could tell they came from a good school and that they stood out from other students in the class.  Some girls are even showing leadership outside the classroom as well — one graduate was elected to be a dorm prefect at her school. 

Overall these were very successful trips and gave us a lot of good information about how the graduates are doing and how SEGA has helped them in continuing their education.

We are so pleased to hear that our graduates are adjusting well to their new environments and pursuing paths that would not have been available to them if it weren’t for SEGA. Thank you to all the people who have supported our students and enabled them to come as far as they have!