The second wing at the girls’ dormitory has been completed and is fully occupied by 46 new pupils. Earlier this year Build It Trustee Liz Mayhew visited some of the girls at the school to find out what their school life is like and their aspirations for the future:

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George Secondary School caters for grades 10 to 12 (UK years 9-11) but the boarders here range in age from 12 to 20. This is typical in Zambia as the ability to pay school fees and family circumstances have a big impact on a child’s ability to complete their education.
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A school day here is tough. Classes start at 7.30am and end at 3pm. The girls are woken by matron at 5am every morning so they are tired by the time classes end. They all have chores to do every morning, including helping in the vegetable garden. The girls are kept busy in the evenings too – they have a two hour homework period six days a week. Their ‘lie-in’ on Saturday and Sunday is a leisurely 6am!
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“It is still hot on this late afternoon in George and the matron directs me to the girl’s dormitory; some of the girls are outside chatting and plaiting each other’s hair, others are lying or sitting on their beds chilling out before supper.
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There are 40 girls who gather around curious and shy. Most of them are in their casual clothes but a few still wear their bright orange Peas uniform. It takes a few minutes to get them talking to this interloper but soon one of the girls has offered me a stool and they are keen to answer my questions.
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When asked what they would like to do the first to answer is a girl with desire to be a doctor or pharmacist. The second to put up her hand, Kalonga, wishes to be a political journalist, she has no access to TV or computer at school and only occasionally a paper but she likes to keep up with events at home and abroad particularly during the school holidays. Ndelesa wants to go to university in the UK to study law. Seven more hands are immediately raised when I ask who wants to be a nurse.
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What is so striking is the girls’ motivation and ambition. The girls live between 15 and 70 kilometres away and without boarding at this subsidised school they all say they would no longer be in education. They will not see their families during the 3 month term but they certainly do not complain at the sacrifice; they clearly see education as an imperative.”