NGO donates bicycles to school girls to help them fight sexual temptations

PLAN International has donated 500 bicycles to secondary school girls in Geita and Kigoma regions as means of transport to and from schools to help them fight sexual temptations.

Transport challenge was cited as among factors leading to GBV on girls whereby bodaboda riders took advantage of their vulnerability to ask for sex from the girls.

The donation is part of the project  called ‘Keeping Adolescent Girls in Schools (KAGIS)’ being implemented in Geita and Kigoma regions under the funding of Global Affairs Canada.

Speaking at the handing over of the bicycles, recently, in Geita town council, Director of Plan International Tanzania, Mr Peter Mwakabwale, said among them, the 300 bicycles are donated to school girls in Geita and 200 in Kigoma region.

He noted, this is the first phase of the project and until its completion the project is expected to have donated a total of 2,000 bicycles to support government’s efforts to enable equal access to basic education.

“We have realised that the challenge of walking a long distance from home to school, especially for secondary school girls, forces them to temptations leading them to drop out of school,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, A Bung’wangoko Secondary School student Aneth Joseph said the bicycles would help them attend classes every day and avoid the risk of sexual violence on their way to school.

The headmaster of Ihanamilo Secondary School, Salum Mkumala said the project will enhance attendance of school girls, who walk more than 90 kms a day to school.

The Geita District Commissioner, Mr Wilson Shimo congratulated Plan International for the project as it is expected to reduce early pregnancies among school girls due to the challenge of lack of transportation.