We are Class 5 and 6 girls from Mwasi Kaskazini Primary School in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. We created this book in our Hadithi Zetu club in 2025.

We believe that girls are very special. Read this book to find out why girls are so important in the community!

My name is Helena. A girl is perseverant. She can endure anything done to oppress her and still persevere.

A girl is loving. Some people discriminate against girls, saying they have no rights, but a girl can help a person with disability and anyone in need.

She does not discriminate by saying some are friends, others enemies. A girl cares for others. You may find that a girl is hurt, yet she cares for someone else who is hurting.

People assume girls are not meant to study, they should only to do household work.

Those who disrespect a girl later regret it because she could study up to university and help her family.

The world should know that a girl has the same rights as a boy and should not be discriminated against. They should live with her with love and happiness instead of being her married off. She should be sent to school to study.

My name is Christina. The world knows that a girl is strong, capable, and smart. She prays the rosary.

A boy only plays, knowing the girl will do all the work, like washing many clothes, mopping, washing dishes, sweeping, fetching water, carrying heavy things, cooking, raising chickens.

A boy just sits and plays, unaware, while a girl suffers.

When girls reach Form 4, they are married off for money. A boy is called "my hardworking boy" while girls are called "fools." They do not understand that a girl has rights. A girl should have education and employment.

My name is Happiness. The community should value girls because they are hardworking. They can do the work of farming, washing, mopping, animal husbandry, small businesses, going to the market, giving birth, raising children, and breastfeeding children.

People think girls have no value

because they say if you educate a girl, the person who benefits is her future husband. But others see girls as very valuable because they cooperate with others in times of joy and hardship. They will grieve with you and celebrate with you.

Because a girl is full of love.

My name is Juliet. A girl is strong. She does hard work, for example, fetching water, carrying a child, helping her mother cook, and assisting her mother with other tasks.

People take girls for slaves and make them work. For example, they send them on errands,

give them heavy loads to carry, and make them care for children, leaving them no time to study, learn, or achieve their dreams.

I want the world to know that girls from Mwasi are hardworking and believe in themselves.

My name is Eliza. I am proud to be a girl because I am brave, strong, and able to claim my rights. I will insist on my right to be heard.

A girl should not be forced into marriage early. Girls should study until they want to get married and decide for themselves.

Also, a girl knows many languages. A girl is intelligent, knowledgeable, and is not just someone to fetch water when others are sitting at home.

She should be valued so she can achieve her future dreams. For example, girls have dreams of becoming pilots, teachers, lawyers, and doctors.

My name is Sofia. I am proud to be a girl because I advocate for girls' rights. I defended the right of a girl when her father told her she could not go to school and must stay home to care for her younger sibling.

Other girls work for people instead of going to school. That is not right.