By Our Reporter
For Lucy Adam, returning to school after spending a year at home was more than a second chance at education. It was an opportunity to reclaim a dream she feared she might never achieve.
The Form Two student at Kwamatuku Secondary School in Handeni District, Tanga Region, is among girls whose education was interrupted by difficult circumstances but who have since returned to the classroom with support from the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED).
Her ambition is to become a soldier, a dream she says she refused to abandon despite the challenges that forced her out of school.
“Life was difficult when I was at home, but since returning to school, I feel like a changed person. I am now more committed to my studies than I was before,” she says.
Lucy, whose real name has been withheld to protect her identity, says leaving school was particularly painful because education had always been central to her ambitions.
“I was deeply disappointed when I dropped out and spent a year at home. But now I have returned with renewed determination to study hard and achieve my dream,” she says.
Her experience reflects the challenges facing girls from disadvantaged households, where financial difficulties, family circumstances and teenage pregnancies can interrupt education and limit future opportunities.
For Adelina Joseph (not her real name), a Form Four student at the same school, pregnancy and financial hardship nearly brought her academic journey to an end.
She says she had been performing well in class before family difficulties and a lack of essential school requirements contributed to her entering a relationship that resulted in pregnancy and forced her to leave school.
Although she wanted to resume her studies after giving birth, her family's financial situation made it difficult to return to the classroom.
Her father's decision to seek assistance from CAMFED eventually opened the door for her to continue with her education.
“My father contacted CAMFED after learning that the organisation supports girls' education. That is how I got the opportunity to return to school. My dream has always been to continue with my education, and I am now working hard to achieve my goals,” she says.
The support covers school fees, meals, exercise books, uniforms and other essential learning materials. She also lives at school, giving her an opportunity to concentrate on her studies without some of the difficulties she previously faced.
“Since returning to school, I have seen significant changes in my life. I am no longer living the way I did before. I am determined to work hard and become an example to other girls. I now live in a peaceful environment that allows me to enjoy my studies,” she says.
Adelina hopes to become a doctor, saying she wants to use her education to help people facing different health challenges.
Beyond financial assistance, teachers say continued counselling, academic guidance and a supportive school environment have been important in helping girls readjust to classroom life.
Prisca Daudi, a teacher responsible for the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Programme (SEQUIP) Alternative Education Pathway (AEP) at Kwamatuku Secondary School, says her role involves ensuring that returning students receive academic, material and psychosocial support.
She says some of the girls come from families experiencing serious difficulties, making individual guidance and regular follow-up necessary to ensure they remain in school.
“Through this programme, I serve as their guardian and academic adviser. Some of these girls come from families with various challenges, so I provide counselling and follow up on their needs to establish whether they have received the support and how they are using it,” she says.
The school also monitors their attendance and ensures they participate in lessons like other students.
Daudi says the girls have been accepted by their fellow students, with some demonstrating improvements in academic performance and becoming positive influences within the school community.
“These girls have become role models. When they notice that their fellow students are heading towards challenges they once experienced, they report the matter to teachers early. Their experiences and life skills have made them agents of change among other students,” she says.
Dativa Patrick, a CAMFED mentor teacher at the school, says regular meetings with the beneficiaries help teachers identify their challenges, offer guidance and address issues that could lead to absenteeism.
She urges the girls to make good use of the opportunity, arguing that remaining in school is an important step towards achieving economic independence and improving their future prospects.
However, she says the number of girls needing assistance remains a concern, calling for more support to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent others from returning to education.
“We appeal to CAMFED to increase the support available to girls so that more of them can continue their education, either through boarding facilities or rented accommodation,” she says.
Patrick identifies teenage pregnancies and poor performance in Form Two examinations among the challenges affecting girls' education. Nevertheless, she says those who have returned are showing renewed commitment to their studies.
The school has also recorded encouraging academic results among beneficiaries, with one CAMFED-supported Form Four student emerging as the top performer in her class.
For education officials, however, ensuring that girls return to school requires more than identifying those who have dropped out. It also involves working with families, schools and development partners to address the circumstances that prevent them from completing their education.
Noel Kombo, CAMFED coordinator and Education, Materials and Statistics Officer in Handeni District's Secondary Education Department, says the organisation works with the district council to support girls who are willing to resume their studies under the government's alternative education arrangements.
He says Kwamatuku Secondary School has eight students who have returned through the programme, three of whom receive financial support from CAMFED.
The council, he adds, collects data on students who have dropped out and those who have returned, while conducting community awareness campaigns to ensure families understand the available opportunities.
“As education supervisors, we continue to create awareness to ensure the government's objective is achieved and that students whose educational dreams were interrupted get an opportunity to return to school and fulfil their ambitions,” he says.
Kombo says CAMFED supports 25 secondary schools in Handeni District Council, extending assistance to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
At Gwekizinga Secondary School, six students who had dropped out have returned to school since 2024, and Kombo says they have continued to perform well.
Established in 1993, CAMFED is an international non-governmental organisation whose work focuses on addressing poverty and inequality through girls' education and the empowerment of young women in Africa.
In Tanzania, it works with the government through the Ministry of Education and the President's Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) to support students in public schools across different regions.
For Lucy, Adelina and other girls who have returned to school, the intervention has helped turn interrupted educational journeys into renewed possibilities. Their experiences also underline the importance of sustained financial and psychosocial support in ensuring that girls do not lose their future opportunities because of circumstances beyond their control.