More than 32,000 school uniforms have begun to reach pupils in grades 5 to 9 in three districts of Niassa and Zambézia provinces. Behind the distribution lies a broader aim: to reduce the barriers that keep children and adolescents away from the classroom, with particular attention to keeping girls in the education system.
The “Eu Sou Capaz” Programme has begun distributing 32,686 school uniforms in the districts of Marrupa, in Niassa, in the north of the country, and Morrumbala and Lugela, in Zambézia, in the central region. The initiative seeks to combat school dropout and create better conditions for pupils to continue their studies.
The intervention focuses on reducing the obstacles that affect pupils' access to and retention in school, prioritising the promotion of gender equality, school retention and improvement of the conditions needed for academic achievement.
The “Eu Sou Capaz” Programme has the First Lady of the Republic, Gueta Chapo, as its patron and is implemented by the Government of Mozambique, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with funding from the World Bank.
In Marrupa, in Niassa province, the main ceremony marking the launch of the distribution took place at Marangira Primary School and was led by the district administrator, Luísa Muetanene.
In that district alone, 4,218 sets of uniforms are due to be delivered to pupils in grades 5 to 9. Of the total, 384 will be for boys.
During the ceremony, the beneficiary girls thanked the donors for the support received and pledged to keep studying. They also voiced their rejection of early unions and other forms of violence against girls, problems that continue to be obstacles to adolescent girls staying in school.
In Zambézia, the operation is on an even larger scale. More than 16,000 pupils are expected to benefit from the initiative in the districts of Morrumbala and Lugela.
In Morrumbala, the district administrator, João Nhambessa, oversaw the start of the distribution at Samora Machel School. The district is due to receive 7,745 school uniforms.
Nhambessa drew attention to some of the factors linked to girls dropping out of school in the district during the past year. Among them, he highlighted early unions, domestic duties and family mobility.
In Lugela, the start of the distribution took place at Murauanha Primary School and was led by the district administrator, Guilhermina Machica.
The operation in that district is due to reach 211 schools, with the delivery of 8,723 uniforms. The overwhelming majority, 7,930, are intended for girls, while 793 will be distributed to boys.
On the occasion, Guilhermina Machica urged the girls to value the material received and keep their focus on academic performance. The appeal comes at a time when the district is seeking to strengthen the conditions needed to ensure that more girls remain in the education system.
With the distribution of the 32,686 uniforms, the “Eu Sou Capaz” Programme seeks to ease some of the obstacles that affect school attendance, especially among girls, creating conditions for them to stay in the classroom, improve their academic performance and complete their studies.
