Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihoods (GEWEL) Project

  • P Project/Program

A Active

Key Information

The GEWEL Project aims to support the Government of Zambia to increase access to livelihood support to women and access to secondary education to disadvantaged girls in selected districts. The Project has three Components namely (1) Supporting Women’s Livelihood (SWL) which is administered by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services; (2) Keeping Girls in School (KGS) under the Ministry of General Education and Institutional Strengthening and (3) System Building (ISSB) under the Gender Division. Under component 1 the project has been implementing Social Cash Transfer (SCT) – giving regular cash stipends to the poorest families in Zambia who have someone that cannot work because of disability, age, or other reasons. For component 2 GEWEL has been paying secondary education costs for girls in SCT families, starting with 16 districts at first, then scaling up to 27 and currently is in 39 districts (out of a total of 116 districts in Zambia). The project has been paying tuition fees, exam fees, and formal boarding school fees for girls in boarding school. Finally, to advance component 3 Supporting Women’s Livelihoods (SWL) – helping women from SCT families to start small businesses to increase the incomes of their families. SWL helps women in working age, between 19-64 years old. Women receive support for the period of one year, including (a) the opportunity to participate in savings groups with other women; (b) a 21-day life and business skills training; (c) a productive grant equivalent to US$225.


Lead Implementing Government(s)

Zambia

Location(s)

Sub-Saharan Africa

Zambia

Government Affiliation

Government-affiliated program

Years

2016 - 2024

Partner(s)

Not applicable or unknown

Ministry Affiliation

Ministry of Community Development and Social Services; Ministry of General Education and Institutional Strengthening and the Gender Division.

Funder(s)

Sweden Sverige, UK Aid

COVID-19 Response

Not changed

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Secondary completion
  • Secondary Enrollment

Other skills

  • Financial literacy
  • Life skills/sexuality education

Cross-cutting areas

  • Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
  • Gender equality
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Girls in school, Youth

Age

Not applicable or unknown

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary
  • Vocational
  • Tertiary

Other populations reached

  • Fathers
  • Mothers
  • Other caregivers

Participants include

  • N/A

Program Approaches Back to Top

Access to school

  • Expanding boarding opportunities

Life skills education

  • Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)

Other

  • Coordinated Action

Reducing economic barriers

  • Addressing cost of school supplies
  • Financial literacy training
  • Unconditional cash transfers to schools
  • Vouchers/grants

Women's empowerment programs

  • Self-help groups (financial, including savings and credit groups)

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Improved social and emotional learning/skills and mindsets
  • Increased secondary school completion
  • Increased secondary school enrolment

Cross-cutting goals

  • Improved financial literacy and savings
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being