Facts & Numbers
Facts and numbers don't tell the whole story. For example, you won't learn from the data tables on this page the following: that the 10,000 Girls program started in 2001 when four girls, ages 10-12, approached Viola Vaughn for help with their schoolwork. She told them politely, "No." They persisted. Within in two weeks, Viola had an after-school class of twenty girls.
But for 2006, as you might learn from the numbers on this page, the 10,000 Girls program has one thousand four hundred and sixty seven (1467) girls as participants. Participants in their own success. Their initiative badly needed.
For the government of Senegal--to its credit--takes development seriously, does rigorous surveys, and publishes the numbers.[ref] Even when those numbers make Senegal look bad. The information below on education in Kaolack comes from "The Kaolack Regional Statistics" section of Senegal's Regional Development Plan for 2006.
Let's start off with the school age population (the chart to your right): the number of childern eligible for--or rather, who should be in--school.Ideally, to take just one age bracket (15-19), all 44,760 girls should be in High School. In fact, as we discover from Region of Kaolack: Actual Enrollment Numbers 2006, only 1804 girls are enrolled. 1804/44760: which breaks down to roughly one out of every twenty-five, or 4%. (For why this is so, please see Challenges).That's just 4% enrolled in High School. Not certain to graduate. (And at this point, let's not even speculate as to what percentage of that 4% will advance to college).
| Enrolled Girls in High School to Eligible Female Population, Ages 15-19 | |
|---|---|
| Ratio | Percentage |
| 1 to 25 (1804 / 44760) | 4% |
So is the news all bad? No hope for Kaolack, and by extension, for girls in rural West Africa? Far from it. We have good news worth sharing. First, these girls want to improve themselves, want to continue their education, want to better their lives, families and communities.Second, they now have a means of doing so.
The 10,000 Girls program, created by the girls themselves to establish opportunities in education and business. Indeed, in just five years, the 10,000 Girls Educational program has gone from 20 to 1442 participants. (For a grand total of 1467 participants, including the 25 members of Jeunes Filles Entrepreuneuses de Kaolack (J-FEK), the Entrepreneurship program).
Results?
In the Kaolack region overall, the failure rate for girls is staggering. Only 18% pass to the next grade each year. But for participants in the 10,000 Girls program, the success rate is 68%. More than three times the regional average.
Likewise, unlike the Kaolack regional dropout rate of 53% per year, for participants in the 10,000 Girls program, the dropout rate has consistently been 2% or less per year. Bottom line so far: the 10,000 Girls program keeps girls in school.
In contrast to the 18% regional average for success, 68% of our girls move on--pass to the next level. And those girls who don't: well, they keep trying. Unlike over half their peers, they don't quit.
Moreover, for those girls who have already been excluded from school or have otherwise finished their education, Jeunes Filles Entrepreuneuses de Kaolack (J-FEK) offers both employment and on-the-job training in business skills.
Furthermore, three graduates from the 10,000 Girls program who successfully finished High School in Kaolack are now in the English Language for Internationals (ELI) program at Suffolk University Dakar, the only accredited American university in West Africa. Pending successful completion of the ELI program, these girls will be admitted with scholarships to Suffolk University Dakar.
High School diplomas. Advanced skills. College credit. Employment and vocational-technical training. Results as real as it gets. Add to that a waiting list for 2006-07 of over seven hundred girls, and a hard-fought effort to reach out to parents and start family support networks. (With now over one thousand parents involved).
So in addition to the facts and numbers on this page, please consider what a former high ranking USAID official, a certified management accountant, and other knowledgeable people have said about the 10,000 Girls program. About its accomplishments in education and entrepreneurship:
...an outstanding contribution... ...this dynamic young organization......based on a sustainable business model... ...with astonishing success...
You can share in our success. You can join us in not only enabling and empowering 10,000 girls (or more), but in continuing to develop a program of proven merit that offers scalability and provides a model of both hope and success for West Africa.Thank you for reading.
(Compare the above statistics on actual enrollment with Region of Kaolack: School Age Population 2006)
| Kaolack Commune | Kaolack Department | Nioro Du Rip | Kafferine | Accumulative: Kaolack Region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratio of Girls in High School to Primary School | 1 to 13 (1366 / 17284) | 1 to 26 (422 / 10899) | 1 to 1665 (9 / 14986) | 1 to 108 (161 / 17332) | 1 to 33 (1804 / 60501) |
| Expressed as a percentage (%) | 8% | 3.9% | 0.06% | 0.9% | 3% |
References
- All statistics concerning the Kaolack region (population, eligible and enrolled students) from "Direction de la Prévision et de la Statistique: Division des Enquetes démographics et sociales." Ministère de L'Économie et des Finances. République du Sènègal. Available: http://www.ansd.org/.
- For related information on the Kaolack Region, please see also the The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) profile for Senegal. Available: http://www.unfpa.org/profile/senegal.cfm.
- All statistics concerning the 10,000 Girls program courtesy of Women's Health, Education and Prevention Strategies Alliance (WHESPA), an independently audited 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.