Mentoring Girls

On Wednesdays KnowledgeBeat hosts girls mentorship sessions at the Ngoma Basic School. The goal is to promote girls education and encourage girls to break free from traditional cultural molds in Zambia. The sessions are voluntary for girls in Grade 7, 8 and 9. Almost 100% of the eligible girls have been attending since the launch at the start of Term 2 (early May). Two of the teachers, Mr. Machilla and Mrs. Kaoma, have been leading the program from within the school.
This past Wednesday, we had scheduled a young female doctor from Itezhi Tezhi, Chikwe, to come to Ngoma and speak to the girls about her career path and striking a balance that works. We told her that we would pick her up from the hospital in Itezhi Tezhi at 13.00. However, a couple of kilometers from Itezhi Tezhi, we popped a tire. And so ensued a rather comical scene in which several very kind fisherman who came across us on their way to the river, attempted to help us change the tire. The unfortunate reality was that we did not possess the right tool to get the spare unhooked, and so rather than change the tire, we sent the popped tire off with a ZESCO vehicle that passed to be mended. Two hours later, the tire returned and the same young fishermen helped us get it back on the vehicle. We picked up Chikwe at 15.00 instead of 13.00 and headed for Ngoma, gnawing on the difficult task of trying to work in the remote areas where we operate.
Just about nothing out here happens without a hitch and the lack of infrastructure adds a layer of difficulty that can easily have you pounding your head against a wall indefinitely. When you sit in the U.S. getting the rambling excuses of why this or that didn’t happen as planned from the field, it is easy to pass judgment, but when you’re in the field doing all that you can, the tables are turned, and all you can do is prepare for the unexpected, roll with the punches, and adapt in ways that produce results.
When we finally did pull up to the school with Chikwe, all of the girls and the two teachers were patiently waiting in a classroom. The hour and a half session that followed was filled with lively discussion and lots of questions from the girls. To kick things of Mrs. Kaoma took a poll of all the girls who wanted to be doctors and those who wanted to be nurses – only one or two wanted to be doctors versus a dozen nurses. Chikwe said “why is that you don’t desire to be a doctor instead of a nurse?”, stating that because men are generally doctors and women nurses should not be a deterrent. By the end, there were close to ten who wanted to be doctors rather than nurses.
It was interesting to listen to the questions coming from the girls – there were a number about what it was like to be a doctor, how Chikwe had done in school, etc., but the majority had to do with how to deal with a boy. The general response given by Chikwe (and Mrs. Kaoma at points) was that a girl should not have a boyfriend as he will distract her – no discussion of balance. Chikwe herself is not married and she’s a beautiful young woman who is one of the head doctors at her hospital. The girls were surprised to find out she did not have a husband, and we can only hope that it will help them have the courage to break free from traditional customs of early marriage.
That evening one of the girls we’ve gotten to know, Boronah, came by our house. She had enjoyed the session as she did all of them. Getting out of Ngoma and doing something with her life is a priority for her and she believes studying hard and going on to secondary school is the only way. We reminded her about the scholarship program KnowledgeBeat is offering. Secretly, we both hope she gets one, because it’s girls like Boronah, the ones who are inspired to change their world, that keep us charging ahead.