Finito

Hej!

Så – tre månader senare tänkte vi runda av lite här. När vi skrev senast hade vi precis kommit hem från Valle de Vinales och hade typ två veckor kvar av resan. Efter Vinales stannade vi en kort sväng i Havanna, och reste sen vidare till den lätt överskattade världsarvsstaden Trinidad, för att sedan svänga vidare till universitetsstaden St Clara och paradisön Cayo Coco. St Clara var överlägset roligast att vara i – liten bubblig stad där det poppar upp små konstgallerier och punkkonserter i var och vartannat hörn.

Vi hann också göra några sista intervjuer, och fick såklart tag på de bästa kontakterna under sista dagarna. Under näst sista dagen hängde vi i ett kollektiv i Havana Vieja där vi bland annat träffade en snubbe som jobbade som DJ som bland annat pratade om hur hysteriskt svårt det är att få tag på musik – de få gånger han har råd att sätta sig på ett Internetcafé har han bara råd med en timme åt gången, vilket gör att det blir en kamp mot klockan för att få ner nya låtar att spela ute. Han hade dock andra sätt att lösa problemet på, och så fort en vän skulle åka utanför Kuba skickade han med en hårddisk för att få med sig låtar hem.

När vi åkte hem var vi supernojiga – en tjej vi träffade på den förberedande MFS-kursen hade berättat för oss om sin vän som hade fått sin dator beslagtagen på vägen hem från Kuba, och vi var övertygade om att vi också skulle bli stoppade på flygplatsen. Innan hemresan hade vi också backuppat allt material på en massa olika sätt med olika USB-minnen och hade mailat allt material till oss själva. I slutändan var det dock inga problem alls och vi valsade igenom kontrollerna utan några anmärkningar.

Nu har vi som sagt varit hemma ett par månader och har nyss skrivit klart vår uppsatsen . Vi har dessutom arbetat med ett reportage som vi ska försöka att sälja in till tidningar och båda texterna går att få tag på här – http://wpmu.mah.se/mkvstudent/category/studentarbeten/

Det var nog det hela – kul att ni har läst!

Ciao

A Second Chance to Education

Imagine that you are a teenager in Tanzania. You come from a village. Every day you go to school, and you love studying. You study hard because you know that your parents are poor and they struggle to afford paying your school fees. But you are planning to do well, and find a job. Your future seems bright.DSC02073

Then suddenly, you see that your body is changing. You hope that everything will be alright. But you know that it will not. You have become pregnant. What is going to happen next will possibly destroy your dreams.

Soon you are suspended from school in accordance with Tanzanian law. Your friends laugh at you and wonder how you could be so stupid. Your family is angry and disappointed. Maybe you are not welcome in their house any longer. The boy you thought was in love with you says that he does not like you any longer, and he denies that it is his child.

Instead, he continues with his studies. But you cannot: because you are a girl, and you have become pregnant. You are on your own now. The future you thought lied in front of you seems to be very far away…

This is a common situation for young girls and women in Tanzania.DSC02069 If one gets pregnant in primary or secondary education, she is forced out from school, and the community disregards her. Some might get support from their families or relatives. Others are completely rejected. They have lost their chance to education, and the way they thought would lead to a better life.

So, one might ask if this practice in accordance with the International Human Right Charter that claims that every child has the right to education? Or if it follows the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that will promote equal and qualitative education for all, at all levels of education? The answer is: No. And still, it is happening on a daily basis in Tanzania.

Moreover, this issue is well-known. And for some of these young women, there might be a second chance to education. One program that I believe gives the opportunity is the Mama-course program provided at six Folk Development Colleges in Tanzania. I have visited three of those, and I was surprised by the change they seem to bring.

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Firstly, the Mama-course program gives the young mothers free education for two years. They live on the college with their child together with 14 other young mothers. They learn things such as entrepreneur skills, life skills and English, and they get vocational training, for example in cooking, farming, or electrical installation.

The positive effects of the two years program are prominent. The young mothers get more than education. They regain self-confidence. They see the possibility to become independent. They get respected by the community again. The parents are happy and they can help to support them with knowledge and skills. Their children become healthier at the college, and they learn new things in kindergarten and get friends during the program. The mama-course students now see the chance to get employed, start their own businesses, or (if getting enough capital) continue with secondary education.

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Still, as with many good programs in Tanzania, there are issues with the capital. Only 90 students every two years are able to enter the program, and currently there are problems with the funding. The mama-course students at Ilula FDC had to interrupt their studies after the Winter-break due to lack of finance. They, and their children, are still waiting for a chance to enter the program again.

I sincerely hope that the Mama-course program can expand and provide education to more of these young mothers who always should have a second chance to education. And I wish that the government will take actions to provide for a better future for those capable young women. Hawa wanawake vijana wanaweza! (These young women can!)

Just give them the chance that is every person’s right. The possibility and right to: Education.

The blog was originally publiced on: http://fufkorrespondenterna.com/2015/06/11/a-second-chance-to-education/