Odyssey 7-8 Service Learning Project
Solomon Island Girls Scholarship Project
Barely one in ten girls graduate high school, yet the barriers can be overcome.
Help us support girls in the Solomon Islands
Melanesian Women Today is raising money with Odyssey Kids to pay school fees for girls unable to go to school in the Solomon Islands, and your donations can help!
We have identified 7 girls at Auki Community High School on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands who are in need of a scholarship to continue their education. Of these 7 girls 3 are in 7th grade, 3 are in 8th grade, and 1 is in 10th grade. The amounts of the scholarships vary by year but the 7th and 8th graders each need $73 US Dollars for the entire school year and the 10th Grader needs $170 US Dollars for the entire school year. All together this totals $608 dollars and when you add in fees for banking, and administration costs 700 to 800 dollars would easily cover all tuition and expenses but most importantly allow the girls to continue their education.
Here are the Girls in need of Scholarships
(Click the photo to enlarge)
The Solomon Islands is a collection of islands and students do not always attend their local schools. Often students attend schools on other islands depending on where seats are available and also the quality of schools available. In the pictures above Vill stands for Village and Ethnicity is the tribe the student is from. Lastly the Province is comparable to our states in the USA. A very important point to mention about Malaita province is the struggle that women and girls face there is fierce and even more difficult than the rest of the country. This is because of the traditional beliefs and customs of this part of the Solomon Islands.
Program Overview
Only 7% of girls in the Solomon Islands graduate from high school, making it the lowest rate in the world. This shocking statistic is appalling and quite frankly, not right! According to a recent study conducted by the Lowy Institute (https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/chance-step-support-girls-education-solomon-islands) in early 2019, the number one barrier identified for this predicament was the lack of funding to pay for school fees since free high school education is not an option in the Solomon Islands. Despite the 2009, Fee Free Basic Education policy, the government of the Solomon Islands does not provide for senior secondary schooling (years 10-12). Another barrier identified is discrimination against girls who become pregnant is followed by deeply entrenched gender inequality.
Gender inequality is another prevailing issue that is a contributing factor to why it is so hard for girls and young women in Solomon Islands to complete high school. This is particularly concerning in places where traditional roles are considered a high priority for girls and young women to abide by. While boy’s education is valued, girls are expected to be subservient to their traditional roles as caretakers of their homes, and eventually become a wife and mother.
As a result, there is a huge drop in the number of girls completing their high school education. It is a well known fact that girls across the Solomon Islands are acutely aware of their education being a financial burden to their families. A poverty profile study of the Solomon Islands published in 2012-2013 shows 66% of households find it difficult to afford school fees.
WHAT CAN MELANESIAN WOMEN TODAY DO?
MWT has begun fundraising to pay for school fees for girls as a scholarship program for girls at Auki Community High School in Malaita Province. School fees range from $1000 to $3000 Solomon Island dollars ($120 to $360 US Dollars) for a full year’s tuition. MWT has teamed up with the 7th and 8th grade students from Odyssey Middle School on Bainbridge Island, WA USA for a fundraiser to pay for school fees. Making a difference in the life of even one girl has an impact, but we would like to sponsor as many as 10 if possible before the 2020 school year begins in February.