8th Grade here we come!

Sherri visiting with Angela, who wants to be an accountant, Mwansa, who wants to be a lawyer, and Abel who would like to be a Dr.  They kept their dreams alive even though they didn't have enough money to enroll in the 8th grade.
 

When we arrived at Chipulukusu last month, Mr. Milimo, the head teacher, immediately wanted to talk about "his" students.  The head teacher always teaches the highest grade in the school so he knew the graduates well.  As a matter of fact, he confessed he held extra classes for them in the library everyday after school to be sure they understood all of their lessons.  After giving us his glowing report, he became sober and said there was a little problem.  Three of the students (2 girls and a boy)were double orphans and would not be going on to the 8th grade because they could not pay the fees. We assured him this was what the Girl's Achievement Program was all about -- keeping girls in school and then providing scholarships for them to continue their studies.  He nodded and then said, "But what about the boy?"  We made an executive decision on the spot and said HealthEd Connect would provide scholarships for eligible boys too.  You should have seen Mr. Milimo beam!  Within 2 days he had Angela, Mwansa, and Abel all enrolled in the government school and had taken them to purchase uniforms, backpacks, shoes, and required books.  The annual cost is about $200/year per student -- what a bargain!