The HER girls, participants of IIE’s Higher Education Readiness (HER) program, have been busy over the past few months with tutoring, meeting with their mentors, and the important year-end exams. This summer they are attending entrepreneurship and English language training workshops.
The HER girls attending Addis Ketema School had an exciting visitor recently. Zuriel Oduwole, a 12-year-old American girl of Nigerian and Mauritian descent, started the Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up program to inspire girls in Africa stay in school and get the best education they can. Zuriel has interviewed presidents and prime ministers from many different countries in Africa and has been featured widely in news media, including an interview by Forbes.
Zuriel’s meeting with the HER girls was inspirational. They were surprised by her accomplishments at such a young age and motivated by her mission to change the perspective about girls and education. For them, Zuriel was an example of what a young girl can achieve with a good education.