By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK The Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia (FAWENA) yesterday held a one-day seminar for focal point teachers of the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship Programme (AGSP) Plus. The AGSP Plus, which started in Namibia this year, provides scholarships for orphans and vulnerable children to attend secondary school education. Ten focal point teachers from the Omaheke Region were taken through the implementing manuals of the programme for them to know what they are expected to do. George Amara Udongo, who is seconded to FAWENA, told New Era yesterday that most of the teachers were new in the programme and had no knowledge about FAWENA. The activities that the focal point teachers were introduced to include gender responsive teaching, gender responsive lesson planning, gender responsive language use in the classroom, and also gender responsive sexual maturation. Since focal point teachers were regarded as parents of beneficiaries of the programme, Udongo said they needed to know the components of the programme to be able to encourage learners that they were just as good. Focal point teachers implement the programme and perform mentoring activities for learners selected as beneficiaries of the programme. The programme runs in nine regions of Namibia and has so far awarded scholarships to 341 girls in secondary schools. The President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provided US$200ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 to FAWENA through the Academy for Educational Development (AED) to fund scholarships for OVC pupils in secondary schools. The AGSP Plus is a continuation of the current AED AGSP for primary schools, which has offered scholarships to 980 girls in all 13 regions. According to FAWENA’s calculations, the US$200ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 will support 340 OVC girls for two years to remain in school. The scholarship comprises school development fund, school uniform, hostel fees, school supplies and transport for girls that stay in hostels to travel back home for holidays and out-weekends, and also for toiletries. The girls who are selected are those who are educationally margialized, affected by HIV and AIDS, San or children of farm labourers, economically disadvantaged, at risk of child labour and other exploitative situations, and girls who are bright and perform well in mathematics and science subjects but need motivation and financial assistance to stay in school. The programme is implemented by three partners, namely: National Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia (NFPDN), FAWENA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church AIDS Programme (ELCAP).