Secondary Education for Girls Advancement (SEGA) Girls’ School
Morogoro, Tanzania
About SEGA
SEGA Girls’ School is a secondary girls school that aims to educate Tanzanian girls and equip them with skills for a bright future. Students benefit from rigorous classroom instruction, highly-qualified teachers, and exceptional school facilities. Additionally, SEGA provides full scholarships to at least half of its student body and has trained counselors, nurses, and security guards present to further support the girls’ safety and wellbeing. SEGA’s mission aligns with that of Girls Run Global in that it envisions a Tanzania where girls are confident and women succeed in learning, earning, and leading social change.
Location
The SEGA school is located near Morogoro, a rural agricultural town near the Uluguru mountains. The school sits on 30 acres of land and is surrounded by plenty of dirt roads perfect for running.
Fast Facts
100%
Pass rate on national exams
280+
Students on campus
100%
Participation in extracurriculars
The Students
Over 86% of students were at high risk of dropping out of their previous schools before coming to SEGA Girls’ School. Factors that threaten some students’ chances of staying in school could be the death of a parent, lack of money for school supplies, absence of transportation, or the need to work to support their families. SEGA helps girls overcome these barriers and provides students with an exceptional education.
Approximately 287 students study and live on the SEGA Girls’ School campus in grades 8–11 and a pre-secondary remedial program. In addition, 182 graduates live off-campus who are currently enrolled in continuing education programs supported by SEGA scholarships.
Gender-Based Challenges in Tanzania
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world and girls and women face a disproportionate amount of gender-based challenges. Only 39% of girls in Tanzania attend secondary school. Poverty forces many girls to drop out of school, often resulting in early marriage and teen pregnancy: 2 out of 5 of girls marry before the age of 18 and teen pregnancy rates are 121 births per 1,000 girls age 15–19. Forty percent of Tanzanian women age 15–49 have experienced physical violence, while 17% have experienced sexual violence.
(statistics according to World Bank)
SEGA’s Impact
Studies show that educating a girl has a big multiplier effect in improving the situation of their family and the community around them. SEGA intends to give girls that kind of quality education and is ranked in the top 7% of secondary schools in Tanzania. The school provides scholarships to over half its students, based on merit and economic criteria, and provides all students with an exceptional education that sets the girls up for long-term success.
A Girls Run Global running team is just one more opportunity for the girls to maximize their potential and see what they are truly capable of. Click below to support their Girls Run Global program, the inaugural team, and help give girls a better chance at achieving their dreams, breaking the poverty cycle, transforming their communities, and driving gender equality.
SEGA Girls’ School is supported by Nurturing Minds, a US‐based non‐profit whose mission is to support quality education, life skills, and entrepreneurship to help vulnerable girls in Tanzania become leaders in their communities. Our partnership for the Girls Run Global team at the SEGA Girls’ School would not be possible without them.