After a very concentrated year with no trips home and little time for fun and games, the efforts of our group of eight girls were rewarded with above average exam grades. All the girls passed – 3 got an average of 13 out of 20; 2 got an average of 14; one got 15 and one got 16! Last year, owing to the challenges they faced having to learn Portuguese and to catch up with maths and science subjects which are not taught at the same level in the village schools, several girls only just scraped through. So, these results are the fruits of their hard work.

As a reward, the girls were allowed to return home for the school holidays and be reunited with friends and family. Back home, they spent time with their younger peers and shared with them their experiences in the hopes of inspiring them to study hard and continue their studies after completing primary school.