In honor of International Day of the Girl this month, we celebrate Faith Amon — one of the very first graduates of Kitenga Girls Secondary School — whose journey shows just how powerful education can be in opening doors for girls in STEM in Tanzania.
Kitenga: Where Dreams Began to Grow
When Faith walked through the gates of Kitenga Girls Secondary School in 2016, she was one of only 29 girls — the pioneers of a bold new vision. With strong teachers, a library, science labs, and the support of Girls Education Collaborative (GEC) Kitenga quickly became a place where she could grow.
“Kitenga taught me to believe in myself and dream bigger. And it helped me to help other girls to see what is possible — that they can achieve anything despite their background.”
Left: Faith (third from left) performing during Kitenga’s inauguration ceremony. Right: Faith leading a Geography demonstration (2017).
Against the Odds: Continuing to University and Choosing STEM
That foundation carried her further than most girls in Tanzania are able to go. Nationally, only about one in three Tanzanian girls complete upper secondary — and even fewer make it to higher education. Dropping out because of poverty or early marriage is still far too common. By contrast, 100% of the girls in Faith’s graduating class at Kitenga continued their education!
After Kitenga, Faith graduated from Upper Secondary (pictured here) and not only advanced to university but chose a path few women dare to take — joining the growing yet still small number of Girls in STEM in Tanzania. Today, she is in her final year at the University of Dar es Salaam, studying Economics and Statistics — a rare track for women, and one that drew skepticism.
“Most of the women in Tanzania are afraid of mathematics,” she explains. “Even my friends, when I told them I was studying statistics, they told me: are you able to study mathematics? Because it’s very difficult. Many people told me that. Even my relatives. They said: will you be able? Mathematics is hard. Mathematics drops your grades.”
Her answer is firm: “Mathematics is not hard. It requires many exercises. Every day mathematics has new questions, so you have to practice.” What she loves most about the subject is its fairness. “If the answer is three, it is three all over the world.”
In a world where girls are too often doubted or second-guessed, numbers offer certainty!
Breaking Stereotypes
Faith’s courage highlights the perception gap that keeps so many girls away from STEM. Nationally, women make up 39% of higher education enrollment in Tanzania*, but in STEM fields their share drops to about one in three*.
Faith is determined to change the story. “Many people only hear from others that mathematics is too hard,” she says. “Girls should try and see for themselves — then decide.”
Her message to younger girls is direct and powerful: “Girls have to believe in themselves. so that they can pursue their goals and their dreams. Challenges are part of life. They are there to strengthen us. If you believe in yourself, a challenge cannot destroy you.”
A Call to Action
And to those who support girls’ education, Faith offers gratitude, and a reminder:
“I would like to congratulate the GEC community because I myself was part of the girls who were supported [through a GEC scholarship]. I would tell them not to stop. Because a woman is the biggest part of our community. By empowering women, we can convince other women that everything is possible.”
Faith’s story is both a celebration and a call to action. It celebrates the progress from 29 pioneers in 2016 to a thriving community of graduates today. And it calls us to push further: to dismantle stereotypes, to resource schools properly, to ensure that girls are not just present in classrooms but leading in laboratories, lecture halls, and boardrooms.
Kitenga girls, like Faith, are beating more than one odd — and that distinction matters. They are not only among the few in Tanzania accessing quality secondary education, but among the even fewer young women stepping into fields of their choice, like STEM.
When girls are equipped with both quality education and belief in their own potential, they don’t just transform their own futures — they begin to transform the systems that once excluded them.
The Kitenga Pioneers (2019) — a generation of girls growing stronger through education.
P.S.: Can Your Network Help Faith Take the Next Step?
Faith is currently seeking a data-analysis internship in Tanzania to build on her studies in economics and statistics — ideally with an organization like the U.S. Embassy or the Central Bank of Tanzania, though she’s eager to gain experience wherever she can learn and grow.
Do you have connections that could help her take this next step? Get in touch with GEC — you might just help open her next door.
* Statistics cited in this article are drawn from World Bank and UNESCO gender education reports (2018–2023), Daily News Tanzania (2023), and internal records from Kitenga Girls Secondary School and Girls Education Collaborative.