Ensuring the education of girls during COVID-19

Ensuring the Education of Girls during COVID-19 was implemented by Oxfam and partners in Uganda and South Sudan to retain female learners in Accelerated Learning Programmes during the pandemic. Delivered through primary schools serving urban and rural communities with high numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons, the initiative aimed to prevent girls from dropping out. It promoted gender-responsive education through teacher training, provision of sanitary pads, establishment of “girls’ corners” for breastfeeding and menstrual hygiene, and targeted outreach to pregnant girls and young mothers.

Teachers received psychosocial support training to help them encourage girls’ return to school. The project also used radio broadcasts and home learning packages to ensure continuity of education. In Uganda, materials were developed with the Ministry of Education, while in South Sudan, teachers produced them independently. Home learning packages provided tailored academic and emotional support, particularly benefiting girls unable to access radio lessons due to domestic or agricultural responsibilities.