2018 update on Betty

Betty will be graduating from school next year! She still believes that education is the key to success for girls, and is glad to be a part of the DREAMS program. She told us: "I personally have benefitted a lot because education has not been easy for me. Paying my school fees has really meant a lot to me. Like they say, 'if you educate a girl child, you educate the whole nation!'"

Betty's story

Betty is a natural leader. Her oversized personality shines as one of the stars of Lubuto’s drama program. It was there Betty found her place: “I didn’t know what my talent was, but after Lubuto, I found my talent in drama.”  But Betty’s personality and drive also draws in other young girls to the library. A couple years ago, she and her sister, Rebecca, started a group called “Girl Talk” at Lubuto to discuss many of the issues girls face, such as hygiene and teen pregnancy. At another local NGO, Betty was elected to be a leader in her own community as peer educator and positive role model.

Betty is continually bothered that girls are still left behind when comes to education. “They say ‘When you educate girls, you are educating the entire nation.’ But it’s still girls who are getting pregnant and they are ones that are missing school.” Like most girls in Zambia, Betty heard negative messages like“school is not for girls” and “girls should stay at home and get married.” Inspired by her favorite historical figures–Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Junior–that she read about at Lubuto, she refused to believe that.

DREAMS program has given Betty the support she needs to attend Grade 11 and continue to be a leader in her community.  After finishing school, Betty’s goal is to start an organization that helps vulnerable girls tackle issues such early marriage, self-confidence, and discrimination. Betty proudly proclaimed: “I’m an advocate for girls' rights”.