PLAY IGNITES MARY’S DREAM TO BECOME A TEACHER

11-year-old Mary, from the Serengeti District in Tanzania, aspires to turn her dream of becoming a teacher into reality.

Having taken part in play-based lessons and activities at her school through Right To Play’s Save Her Seat project, Mary is convinced about the importance of play for children’s learning, development and well-being, and is determined to put the lessons she’s learnt into practice to teach children herself when she is older.

“Games are enjoyable. People can learn a lot through play”, she states. “When others are not playing, I would ask the teacher if they can also play. I also take the opportunity to educate them on how we can learn various things through play. My dream is to become a teacher.”

Our Save Her Seat project is helping to inspire girls like Mary in rural Tanzania, enabling them to overcome the barriers they face and thrive. The project – which has been made possible by generous donations from the public, the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, and UK aid from the UK government – is educating and empowering girls in 40 primary schools across the Serengeti and Tarime districts, where girls often face unequal treatment, discrimination and harmful practices that limit their futures.

Mary has faced numerous obstacles that have stood in the way of her education – including a lack of equipment for school, owing to her parent’s financial difficulties. She says, “My family does not provide me with enough resources for the school. For example, I might need money to buy books and pens, but my parents are often unable to provide it. I asked for new socks, but they had no money.”

But the project is making a tangible difference for Mary by helping her develop critical life skills and build confidence in order to confront the challenges that could undermine her hopes and plans for the future.

“We play football. My friends and I sing poems, are in a choir and play together afterwards. When reciting the poems, I would say something like: I wish to study and become a teacher, sharing poems with students.”

Since the project was launched, Right To Play has been training teachers and 400 Girls’ Club leaders on child protection, gender equality and leadership, as well as distributing school kits to help vulnerable girls remain in school. We have also been focused on strengthening local community support for girls’ education.

The project, and our unique play-based approach, is supporting girls to take control of their futures and write the narrative for their own stories.

Mary is determined to succeed and reach her goal of becoming a teacher. In this role, she would, no doubt, help children to believe in themselves – demonstrating the power of pursuing a dream and never giving up.