St Mary’s girls shine a light for future tech trailblazers

Today is the United Nation’s (UN) International Day of the Girl – a day that shines a spotlight on the inequalities in girls’ education worldwide. However, for our students, every day is about global empowerment and supporting girls’ rights to an education - no matter where they live.

Every year, as an international all-girls school, we show our support for this special day and all that it stands for. The overarching premise is to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights, whilst also highlighting the challenges that girls face all over the world today. These challenges have been worsened by the emergence of COVID-19 and our students are well aware of the barriers that face girls around the world when trying to access education. As a school, we do all that we can to articulate a strong vision for strong, independent young women, who strive to empower not only themselves, but all of those around them.

In St Mary’s school life this leads to inspiring examples of our girls taking action on topics they feel passionate about, at both a global and local level. Over the years, our school has enjoyed a long-term partnership with a project in Mbizo, Zimbabwe, to help improve educational opportunities for girls in the area. As a school we have raised significant funds through the likes of fun runs, non-uniform days and cake bakes. In 2020, these funds helped the project reach a significant milestone, when a Mary Ward High School opened its doors in the Mbizo suburb for the first time. Money raised by our students helped to put desks and chairs, all made by local industry in Zimbabwe, into the classrooms, allowing a generation of students access to an education establishment.

This year’s theme for International Day of the Girl is: ‘Digital Generation. Our Generation’. Behind this theme is the fact that 2.2 billion people below the age of 25 still do not have access to internet at home and, out of these, girls are more likely to be cut off than boys. However, it’s more than just about connectivity, girls are also less likely than boys to use and own devices, or to gain access to tech related skills and jobs. St Mary’s girls are striving to help widen the pathways for other girls around the world, so that a new generation can become the technologists of tomorrow. Funds raised by this year's fun run are currently set to help widen students' access to computer devices for educational needs in Mbizo.

This International Day of the Girl we’re imagining a world where girls are no longer restricted by outdated expectations; a world where girls are able to reach their full potential and have access to education to enable them to flourish, no matter where in the world they live. We stand today, and everyday, with our tech trailblazing girls of tomorrow from across the world. We stand together!