FROM SELF-DOUBT TO SELF-BELIEF: HOW THE LIBERATED GIRL PROJECT CHANGED ZIPPORAH’S STORY
Once quiet and unsure of herself, Zipporah now reads aloud, answers questions in class, and dreams of becoming a teacher. Through the Liberated Girl Project, she has moved from fear to confidence — and discovered that her voice and her future truly matter.
Before the TLG Project came to our community, my daughter was very quiet. She would go to school every day, but when she came home, she hardly spoke about what she learned. Her books were empty, and she was always afraid of being asked questions at home and in class, as one of her teachers told me. Sometimes she even begged me not to go to school but to follow me to the market because she felt she was “not smart enough.”
As a parent, it broke my heart. After we lost our father, home, and what I was doing before the attacks and moved to our present community, I promised myself that one of my children must attend above primary school. I was only opportuned to finish form 4 (equivalent to grade 4 now), and I was sent to be married. This was difficult for us, but I kept trying. I have 5 children, Zipporah is the eldest.
Everything began to change when the TLG Project came. The teachers began teaching in a new way that helped each child learn at their own level. My daughter was no longer rushed or left behind. For the first time, someone noticed where she was struggling and helped her step by step.
Today, Zipporah is a different child. She wakes up early for school. She reads aloud at home. Last term, I heard she even attempted to answer questions in class. Her teachers now call her one of the most confident girls in her group. When she talks, she speaks with pride. She even helps her younger siblings with their homework. What has touched me the most is not just that her reading and writing have improved, but that she now believes in herself. Before, she was scared to speak. Now, she dreams of becoming a teacher.
In our community ungwan. Ruhogu, many girls used to think that education was not meant for them. But through the TLG Project, our daughters are learning that their voices matter and that they, too, can become like teacher Swanta. As a mother, I am deeply grateful. The TLG Project has not only changed my daughter’s performance in school, but it has also changed her future.
