A Second Chance for Students in Niger

At the Barbara Kirker Second Chance School in Maine-Soroa, Niger, students who enroll in school late get another shot at getting an education. After receiving books from Books For Africa through Medshare, these students now have plenty of reading materials to help them catch up to their peers who were able to start school at a younger age.

This special school offers an accelerated learning program for students who enrolled late in primary school. Students can complete six years of primary schooling in just four years, so they can matriculate and move onto secondary school with their peers.

Barbara Kirker Second Chance School serves 94 children between the ages of 9 and 14. Administrators expect enrollment to grow to as many as 120 students next year with new educational programs, including their recent library expansion.

One school administrator was overjoyed to share the new books with her students. “Most of the children at the school have never had a book of their own or even gotten the chance to sit down and simply look at a picture book.  You have helped provide that exciting experience for our students,” Kari Hidalgo said, “When I brought the first set of children into the library their eyes were alight with joy and they were thrilled at the chance to hold a book and turn the pages on their own.”