We love answering questions from our In School community! So, we put together a list of our top five most frequently asked questions.
1. How do families spend the cash they receive from In School?
In School families receive monthly cash transfers. And while the cash is conditional, we do not place conditions on how the cash is used. Instead, the financial support is conditional, meaning that for the family to receive it, their child must be regularly in class. Girls and their families use the cash to supplement their income and offset school-related expenses, including the loss of income when a girl attends school instead of working. Families use the money for what they need, often to buy food, cover health care costs or purchase school supplies and clothing.
2. What age are the girls who receive support from In School?
Most of our support reaches girls in Sierra Leone who are enrolled in primary school in grades P4, P5 and P6, which are the equivalent of grades 4, 5 and 6 in the U.S. We focus on the later primary school years because as girls get older and approach their teen years, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to continue their education. Families may find it necessary for them to work and earn income or marry into another family.
As in the U.S., the typical ages of girls in P4 through P6 range from about 9 to 11 years old. However, unlike the U.S. there are often overage girls in primary school, meaning they are older than the typical age for their grade level. Overage enrollment is the result of girls having to dropout — for any number of reasons — and reenroll, or because a girl could not afford to start school until she was older.
3. How is cash delivered to girls and their families?
Our technology experts love to answer this question. Here’s how it works:
We use our custom-developed management information system to identify out-of-school girls and in-school girls at risk of dropping out.
Then our outreach team works with school leadership to connect directly with girls and their families. We meet with the girls and their families in-person to communicate the purpose of the cash support and set up their mobile money account.
4. How long can a girl receive support from In School?
Because of generous and helpful people like you, we repeat this process annually. If needed, monthly cash assistance continues until a girl completes senior secondary school, equivalent to grade 12 in the U.S.
5. How much does it cost to help a girl go to school for one month?
$29 helps a girl go to school for one month. It’s enough to cover school fees and replace the wages a girl would earn if she were working. It also covers the cost of access to support services, which can include health care, disability services and counseling.
We can’t do it without you.
We rely on generous people like you, who share our passion and commitment to girls’ education. When you support In School, you stand for girls who have the odds stacked against them.