Precious, 14, lives in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia in Africa. Her community has high rates of poverty, gangs, drug abuse, gender-based violence and early pregnancy. Girls are generally treated as less important than boys and often miss out on education.

Precious’ life hasn’t been easy. Her mum was injured in a road accident and Precious cares for her and is responsible for most of the household work. Having seen many of her friends affected by the problems her community faces, Precious was left feeling lonely and with little hope for the future. All this changed when Precious was invited to join Circus Zambia’s ‘Rise Up Girls!’ project, a year-long mentoring programme funded by Comic Relief.

In a colourful, joyful environment, girls learn circus skills, train for physical wellbeing, and learn about gender equality, sexual and reproductive health rights, and advocacy. At the end of the year, they stage a show for their local community, family and friends, before becoming peer mentors for the next generation of girls. Thanks to Circus Zambia, Precious has a safe place to go, where she is among friends and feels free to be herself. With her self-belief sky-high, she has new hope for the future and aspires to a career in law so she can help people who can’t help themselves.

Watch our short film made especially for secondary schools to learn more about how your fundraising can help projects like this.

If you or any of your pupils have been affected by the issues in this film, you’ll find information on how to get help at http://comicrelief.com/support.

For teachers to find out more and order your free fundraising pack, please visit: http://comicrelief.com/schools

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