Amani believes that one of the key factors in good health outcomes for families and children is the education, empowerment and well-being of girls and women.
Early on, it became evident, that when children joined our nutrition program, many of these young people were not enrolled in school. This was due to either an inability to afford school fees and/or due to the lack of schools in the local community. To meet this basic need, in 2015, we founded the Idjwi Island Girls Academy, a free elementary school provided for girls in grades K-4 where Amani funds teacher salaries as well as materials and school supplies. The school provides young children a much-needed opportunity to not only attend our nutrition school feeding program, but also receive the vital education they need. Because tuition in Idjwi schools is $30 per year, which is roughly half of an average family’s income, most children— and virtually all girls—never go to school. The Idjwi Island Girls Academy was established to improve educational outcomes and provide a school in close proximity to the hospital. In fact, the school was initially housed in community homes and also a church in the village of Washiha which is near the hospital. The growth of the school has proven to be a great success, with 250 students currently enrolled in grades K-6. In the 2018 national examinations, the Academy students received the highest marks of any school on the island. With this in mind, Amani plans to add classes for boys and extend the current program through the 8th grade. Our first class graduated in 2016 and we are currently fundraising to build new classrooms after our school’s building and infrastructure was severely damaged in a severe tropical storm in 2018.
