Promoting Greater Access to University for Girls (U-GIRLS 2) Project
- P Project/Program
A Active
Key Information
The U-GIRLS2 project aims to increase the empowerment of girls aged 15 to 25 and increase the participation of youth, their families and communities in addressing exisiting gender-related barriers for the advancement of girls' education in the Benishangul-gumuz Region of Ethiopia. It is a five -year program (June 2020 - June 2025 ) that enables 1,000 selected high school girls to reach university from seven secondary schools. Through U-Girls 2, adolescent girls will receive academic resources, training and tutorials, and a financial stipend to allow them to focus on schoolwork. Supports will also be provided to teachers and schools in providing gender-sensitive learnings. The U-Girls 2 project is being implemented in partnership with the Institute of International Education and is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
Lead Implementing Organization(s)
Location(s)
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopia
Government Affiliation
Government-affiliated programYears
2020 - 2025
Partner(s)
Insitute of International Education (IIE) - a technical project implementing partner, Benishangul Gumuz Regional Education Bureau, Benishangul Gumuz Regional Finance and Economic Development Bureau
Ministry Affiliation
Benishangul Gumuz Regional Education Bureau, Benishangul Gumuz Regional Finance and Economic Development BureauFunder(s)
COVID-19 Response
UnknownGeographic Scope
Sub-nationalAreas of Work Back to Top
Education areas
Attainment
- Post-secondary
- Secondary completion
- Secondary Enrollment
Other skills
- Financial literacy
- Life skills/sexuality education
- Rights/empowerment education
Quality
- School-related gender-based violence
- Teacher training
Skills
- Other academic performance-related
Cross-cutting areas
- Adolescent pregnancy/childbearing
- Community sensitization
- Early/child marriage
- Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
- Empowerment
- Female genital mutilation/cutting
- Gender equality
- Masculinities/boys
- Menstrual hygiene management
- Mentorship
- Sexual harassment & coercion
- Social and gender norms and beliefs
- Violence (at home, in relationships)
Program participants
Target Audience(s)
Girls (both in school and out of school), Mothers, Other, Youth
Age
15 - 25
School Enrolment Status
Some in school
School Level
- Lower secondary
- Upper secondary
Other populations reached
- Community leaders
- Other caregivers
- Other family members
- Parent-teacher associations/school management committees
- Religious leaders
- School administrators
- Spouses/partners
- Teachers - female
- Teachers - male
Participants include
- Adolescent mothers (pregnant or parenting)
- Displaced/refugee - Internal (from other areas of the same country)
- Indigenous
Program Approaches Back to Top
Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization
- Community mobilization
- General awareness-raising/community engagement
- Parent Teacher Associations (PTA)
- Technical assistance/capacity building to civil society organizations
Curriculum/learning
- Gender-sensitive curricula
- Increased availability of learning materials
- Remedial education/skills
Increased availability of learning materials
- Textbooks (paper)
Life skills education
- Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE)
- Gender, rights and power
- Negotiation skills
- Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)
- Social and emotional learning (SEL) skills building
Menstrual hygiene management
- Educating girls about menstruation
- Raising awareness about menstruation (beyond just girls)
- Sanitary product distribution
Mentoring/psychosocial support
- Peer mentors
- Teachers as mentors
Other
- Informational interventions (e.g. returns to education)
- Other activities to address/end violence (not captured above)
- Other activities to end child marriage (not captured above)
- Other activities to end FGM (not captured above)
Policy/legal environment
- Raising awareness about existing laws/policies
Reducing economic barriers
- Addressing cost of school supplies
- Financial literacy training
- Scholarships/stipends for school fees
- Uniforms
School-related gender-based violence
- Support in and around schools (e.g. peer counseling, adult-to-student counseling)
- Training of school personnel (including teachers)
Social/gender norms change
- Engaging parents/caregivers of students or school-age children/adolescents
- Group activities with students or school-age children/adolescents
- Work with community leaders
- Work with religious leaders
Teaching
- In-service teacher training – gender-responsive pedagogy
- In-service teacher training – pedagogy general
Tutoring/strengthening academic skills
- Tutoring - general
Women's empowerment programs
- Advocacy/action
- Empowerment training
- Leadership training
Program Goals Back to Top
Education goals
- Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
- Improved critical thinking
- Increased secondary school completion
- Increased secondary school enrolment
- Increased test scores
- Reduced absenteeism
- Reduced grade repetition
Cross-cutting goals
- Changed social norms
- Improved critical consciousness
- Improved financial literacy and savings
- Improved sexual and reproductive health
- Improved understanding of sexual harassment, coercion, and consent
- Increased advocacy/civic engagement
- Increased agency and empowerment
- Increased knowledge of rights
- More equal power in relationships
- More equitable gender attitudes and norms
- Reduced adolescent pregnancy/childbearing
- Reduced child marriage
- Reduced intimate partner violence
- Reduced poverty/increase household well-being
- Reduced school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)
Additional Information Back to Top
Primary Contact
- Wendwossen Kebede
- Cuso International
- Ethiopia Country Representative
- wendwosse.kebede@cusointernational.org