When Learning Inspires Action: Students Explore the Power of Girls' Education

This spring, two students from Brandeis School of San Francisco took a closer look at one of the world's most pressing challenges: ensuring every girl has access to a quality education.

As part of a research project, Noa and Rachel explored the barriers girls face around the world and the life-changing impact organizations like Nurturing Minds and SEGA can have. Through interviews, research, and thoughtful storytelling, they examined how education creates opportunities not only for individual girls, but also for families and entire communities.

We're honored that Noa and Rachel chose to spotlight SEGA's work and are pleased to share their research with our community.

SEGA Nurturing Minds 

All over the world, roughly 119 to 130 million girls do not receive an education each year. Research shows that if you educate a girl, it can have profound impacts on the world. SEGA transforms the lives of girls who are in deep poverty and guarantees that Tanzanian girls secure their vital education. This will not only help them become strong and independent, but also become leaders in their society and help them fulfill their dreams. Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. Only 39% of girls attend secondary school (grades 7-12). Poverty forces many girls to drop out, which results in early marriage and teen pregnancy. However, SEGA Nurturing Minds makes sure that 99% of their students graduate, and go on to higher education. SEGA’s university attendance is 80%, compared to only 3% across the country. SEGA Nurturing Minds is a non-profit organization working towards helping young girls living in Tanzania to receive the education that they deserve.

Many girls around the world are not able to get the chance to learn. Across all of Africa, roughly 34 million girls drop out due to reasons such as early marriage, teenage pregnancy, poverty, and gender norms. 15 million girls are married before the age of 18, 13% of girls give birth before 18, and 39 million girls in conflict zones lack education. Most girls drop out of secondary school due to gender discrimination. Girls who finish secondary school get opportunities to make their own life choices, allowing them to reach their full potential. Poverty is the main cause, with 25% of girls in some areas experiencing sexual violence that acts as a barrier. If a child is not able to receive vital learning, there are many negative effects such as academic failure, high-stress levels, and restricted life opportunities. Moms who do not receive an education as a child, cannot teach their children life skills. If the children do not get vital learning,  self-sufficient jobs will not be available. This makes it challenging to have an income, and this cycle of poverty continues over and over. There are many current event articles that address the problems of not getting education. The Malala Fund is one NPO that allows girls to receive an education, and also work towards helping young girls become independent and self-sufficient.

When a girl is educated, there are impacts on health, prosperity, peace, climate change mitigation and environmental health. If a child is born to a mother who is well educated, the child will most likely not be malnourished and survive past the age of five. Additionally, educating a girl can have an impact on prosperity. Every $1 spent on girls' education is $2.80 in return to the local community that educated her. Girls' education and gender equity can change the conditions that lead to conflict and violence. Evidence shows that female political leaders are more effective in making environmental protection measures. In villages around the world, women are in charge of water usage and agricultural resources for the community. Non-profit organizations are working hard to increase the number of girls getting an education each year all around the world. They are doing this in a number of ways. Organizations cover tuition, uniforms, and transportation. Programs work with the local community and leaders to raise awareness about the importance of education. Groups provide mentorship programs, confidence building, and leadership training to help the girls get a well paying job and break the cycle of poverty. While they have helped many girls get an education, this problem is still prevalent around the world. The great Hillel said “The more Torah the more life, the more schooling the more understanding,” (Pirkei Avot 2:8). This quote highlights the importance of education in our community. 

Nurturing Minds started in 2007. The organization was founded by two colleagues, Polly Dolan, an American, and Blastus Mwizarubi, a Tanzanian. Their mission was to provide an opportunity to marginalized Tanzanian girls to escape poverty. SEGA (Secondary Education for Girls Advancement) is a private secondary girls boarding school for Tanzanian girls, who otherwise would be unable to attend school due to poverty and hardship. SEGA started with only 30 girls, now, they educate 261 girls year round. The 30 acre campus is located in Morogoro, with 25 solar powered buildings. Nurturing Minds also has programs that reach girls who did not attend SEGA. The Modern Girl Program trains SEGA graduates as mentors to go back to their communities and teach girls life skills like reproductive health, communication skills, and human rights. The program’s goal is to educate communities on the negative impacts of early marriage and teen pregnancy, which are some of the reasons Tanzanian girls drop out of school. This year the program has reached 2,000 girls in 31 communities. Another program SEGA offers is the SEGA Graduate Business Development Program. This program was started to help SEGA and Modern Girl graduates learn how to run businesses and give them small loans, so they can earn money and support themselves, in the face of challenges like poverty and unsafe or unfair treatment. This program has reached 100 graduates with entrepreneurship training and small loans this year. 

In many parts of the world, education is still not a guaranteed right for girls, and SEGA Nurturing Minds is working to change that reality. As executive director of SEGA, Laura Dedominics said,  “...a lot of girls were dropping out of school for reasons related to poverty. And so they decided they would start the SEGA Girls School as a safe place to serve girls from really challenging economic circumstances.” There are multiple amazing stories about girls who go from living in poverty to becoming successful independent individuals in their communities thanks to SEGA Nurturing Minds. One story is about a girl named Elina. Elina grew up in Morogoro. When she was in primary school, her parents got divorced and her mother struggled to support them. Elina’s older sister and younger brother both have serious health conditions. Elina’s mom was farming near the SEGA campus, and one of the guards approached her. The guards told her how impactful and life-changing this school is for girls who come from poor backgrounds. Elina’s mom could not believe it. She brought Elina to the front gate the very next day, applied and was admitted to SEGA. Elina joined the English Fluency Program. She was very shy and afraid to speak in front of others. She said “I just felt inferior and had no confidence.” Elina felt as if she did not belong because she was not good with English, even though it was just the opposite with mathematics. However, she was determined to succeed. With a lot of hard work and effort, supportive teachers, and a lot of books, Elina won an award for best English at her SEGA graduation. When Elina pursued her education in secondary school, she received a scholarship for her advanced level secondary education in Mtwara, Tanzania. Elina’s energy and drive continues to impress those around her, as she takes advantage of every opportunity. A few months later, she was accepted as a Yale Young Global Scholar, took a short course, did an internship, and became a Youth Advisor for UNITE. She visited the U.S. in 2022, and had the honor of having a formal lunch event with Michelle Obama through the Girls Opportunity Alliance of the Obama Foundation. Elina returned to Tanzania, and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Dodoma. A while later, she was selected to participate in a STEM program, and later, volunteered at SEGA. She shared that university was difficult and pushed her academically, but she kept working hard with a lot of support. It is clear that Elina will overcome any challenges she faces, and is ready to make a huge impact on the world.

SEGA Nurturing Minds is guiding girls living in Tanzania to receive the vital learning that they deserve. In many countries around the world, education is a privilege and not a right for girls. When a girl receives an education it has a ripple effect on the community she is a part of. This cause of not gaining education are situations like teen pregnancy, early marriage, gender discrimination, and most of all poverty. Can you imagine getting married at 12? Getting pregnant at 13? All of these causes rob a girl’s free will and freedom. SEGA is working towards helping girls living in Tanzania become strong independent women who have a bright future ahead of them. So far, Nurturing Minds has helped about 575 girls who graduated from SEGA, and offer transformative education to vulnerable girls so that they can seek upcoming success. SEGA has many motivating girls in Tanzania, and with that they have amazing futures and can have many impacts on the world. Education is often taken for granted, while countless girls grow up without access to learning, this is a gap that SEGA Nurturing Minds is actively trying to close. 

One of the most meaningful outcomes of girls' education is the conversations it inspires far beyond the classroom. Through their research, Noa and Rachel have helped broaden awareness of the challenges many girls face—and the extraordinary opportunities that education can create.

If their project has sparked your curiosity, we invite you to learn more about SEGA and the many ways students, educators, volunteers, and supporters from around the world are engaging with our mission.

Ready to experience SEGA for yourself? Explore opportunities to visit, volunteer, or get involved.

Works Cited

Ayotte, Rachel. “10 Nonprofits Working to Empower Women across the Globe - Good Grants.” Grants Management Software, 20 Feb. 2026, goodgrants.com/resources/articles/10-nonprofits-working-to-empower-women-across-the-globe/.

“Ending Tanzania’s School Ban on Pregnant Girls and Young Mothers.” Center for Reproductive Rights, 15 Apr. 2026, reproductiverights.org/cases/ending-tanzanias-school-ban-pregnant-girls-young-mothers/.

Dedominics, Laura. "SEGA Nurturing Minds." Personal interview. 26 March. 2026.

Humanitarian Aid for Children in Crisis | Unicef USA, www.unicefusa.org/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

“Human Rights Watch Defends the Rights of People in 100 Countries Worldwide, Spotlighting Abuses and Bringing Perpetrators to Justice.” English, 29 Apr. 2026, www.hrw.org/?_gl=1%2Aw5l148%2A_ga%2AMTM1Mzc0NDA4My4xNzc3MzE0NTM0%2A_ga_8G7WH8R2Z8%2AczE3NzczMTQ1MzMkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzczMTQ1MzMkajYwJGwwJGg0OTM0MjQ2NjQ.

Save the Children | Save the Children Us | Trusted Children’s Charity Worldwide, www.savethechildren.org/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

“Working for a World Where All Girls Can Learn and Lead.” Malala Fund, malala.org/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

WorldBank. “World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty and Sustainability.” World Bank Group - International Development, Poverty, & Sustainability, www.worldbank.org/ext/en/home. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.

“UNESCO Sites Offer a Lifeline to Biodiversity.” UNESCO, 28 Apr. 2026, www.unesco.org/en.