“I dream of becoming a nurse. This work will allow me to look after myself and provide for the needy. I was separated from my parents due to the security crisis. The living conditions were very precarious with my grandparents, so I had to stop my schooling."
Mapenzi, 18 years old, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Mapenzi’s story is not unusual for girls in DRC. Gender inequalities are embedded within communities.1 Gender-based violence is prevalent, there are high rates of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and very low rates of secondary school completion. This situation is exacerbated by the frequent instability in the country’s security, and continued conflict in Eastern DRC. Less than half of children of school age graduate primary school, and this figure is worse for girls.2 Only 23% of poor young women (aged 15 to 24) can read in everyday situations, compared with 64% of poor young men.3
It was within this context that the REALISE project (Reussite et Epanouissement via L’apprentissage et L’insertion au Systeme Educatif) was developed and implemented. Save the Children, World Vision, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and three local implementing partners (FECONDE, AJEDEC and ALPKO) worked together with the aim of ensuring girls could access education and learn, especially in secondary school.
We prioritised a number of interventions:
Over the course of the project, REALISE reached 69,460 girls in 467 schools (262 primary schools and 205 secondary schools) and 16 Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) centres in six provinces (Ituri, Kasai Oriental, Lomami, Tanganyika, Haut Katanga, and Lualaba).
For Mapenzi, this meant she was able to enrol into an AEP for free and she successfully graduated from primary school in 2019. She is on track to further her education, "I know that studying is very important, that is why I am confident that no matter what the circumstances are, I will manage to get my state diploma. I will be able to take care of my grandparents and all the people around me.”
Challenges
From the outset, the REALISE project faced a number of challenges. These included teachers’ lack of French language skills, delayed payments to teachers, conflict, and poor roads and school infrastructure which worsened every rainy season. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has also been difficult. The lack of water and sanitation, and overcrowded classrooms became even more problematic during this time. Although French is the national language in DRC and the language of instruction in schools, many teachers, especially those in more rural and remote areas, are not fluent nor confident in French.
The announcement of ‘Gratuité’ in 2019, the Fee Free Education Policy, led to very overcrowded classrooms (some with over 200 students), unpaid teachers who were overwhelmed and stressed, and a significant strain on already old school infrastructure and facilities.
At the start of the project, it was anticipated that the renewed conflict in Ituri would have some impact on the project, however, this was far greater than expected. There was also conflict in Tanganyika and political unrest in Haut Katanga. Election-related violence in the last quarter of 2018 resulted in teachers’ strikes and school closures. A ‘land dispute conflict’ in Katanda impacted access and pace in programming. The project had to deliver under these difficult conditions whilst keeping staff and partners safe.
In March 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic struck and schools in DRC were closed. The project team had to ensure the safety, wellbeing and learning continuity for girls whilst working from home themselves, with mixed electricity and internet connectivity. Programming for girls without access to mobile phones or radios and with the extreme restrictions placed on education staff was difficult. Nonetheless, delivering an ambitious project in one of the most difficult global contexts came with many successes and rewards.
“I am proud of the project’s achievements and seeing the children who had no hope to study, especially the girls, completing the primary cycle.” - Dunia, from local NGO FECONDE
Successes
The successes of the REALISE project come from its multi-pronged approach which combines economic interventions, interventions aimed at tackling gender norms, child safeguarding interventions and teacher professional development.
The project addressed access to learning and learning quality, but also addressed the wider wellbeing of girls and poverty. Bursaries and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) were essential for girls’ learning and transitioning through school.
Sexual reproductive health (SRH) interventions, including SRH clubs for girls and boys, led to changes in the school, home and community for girls. The increased confidence of teachers, parents, girls, and boys to discuss SRH issues has been transformational.
“The feedback from communities demonstrates that the introduction of the SRH approach strongly contributed to facilitating a dialogue in families on the problems of sexuality and encouraged children to access the right information to better protect themselves." - Dr Blandine, SRH and Gender Specialist, Save the Children
Protecting children has been an area of success and a positive legacy for the project. The project developed robust safeguarding policies and processes to help ensure children were safe from harm and to offer them support if they experienced abuse. ‘Toll free’ hotlines (‘Ligne Vert’ or ‘Green Line’) enabled confidential reporting of abuse and follow up. Following violence in Katanga, the communities themselves requested additional support and training to address and follow up the abuse of children in their communities.
The project trained 2,804 teachers (including 423 females) and 149 inspectors. The project adapted its Teacher Professional Development (TPD) curriculum to support their wellbeing and provide them with some strategies to manage large class sizes. The project’s approach included peer learning at school level, coaching sessions and lesson observations, and a continuous process of developing teachers’ competences and professional abilities. This approach has been well received by education authorities and leaders. Importantly, head teachers and teachers say that their working relationships have been transformed and there is greater trust and confidence in one another and freedom to share. It has been a factor in improving the wellbeing of teachers.
Lessons
Understand each girl’s context: Through REALISE’s partnership with IDS, research was embedded within the project. The research found that the complexities of challenges facing girls from different groups is significant and careful understanding on ethnic make-up of schools and/or the ethnic spread across selected intervention schools is important. For example, it was clear that girls from the Twa ethnic group faced exacerbated barriers, especially poverty and negative cultural and social norms.
Recognise power dynamics: It was also clear that different ethnic groups and their dominance in leadership, staff or students had an impact on the education environment, the power dynamics and possible discrimination that transpired. This was particularly complex in conflict-affected contexts. Social networks, in particular knowing someone in positions of authority and being active in village-based groups, are conducive to higher enrolment rates as well as staying enrolled in school. These networks can serve as a mitigating factor from economic marginalisation.4
Wellbeing and education are linked: It also found a clear link between a student’s socio-emotional wellbeing and attendance at school. Prosocial behaviour is positively correlated with enrolment, while hyperactivity and depression are negatively correlated. Children from minority groups, in this case particularly the Twa, report significantly poorer psychological and socio-emotional status.
Teacher wellbeing, conflict-sensitive education with teachers, child protection and safeguarding work is critical. SRH and Learning Clubs and the VSLA components, as well as work with RECOPEs (community-based child protection networks) and community leaders, are fundamental to supporting girls’ education.
Child protection and safeguarding are critical: As communities recognised that they should and could safely report cases of abuse, the demand and use of the hotline and referral mechanisms grew. This was a positive result and demonstrated growing confidence to report cases of abuse. However, this also increased the amount of time and capacity needed for case management and referral. There is a need in certain situations for additional budget and/or flexibility to manage this. Sufficient budget needs to be allocated for the support of serious cases of protection and backup cases when referral to other support structures fails.
Learning Clubs need resourcing: Implementing Learning Clubs without sufficient incentives for facilitators was a significant challenge to ensure they were established and functioning effectively on a voluntary basis. There is an opportunity to enable communities, and especially adolescents, to receive pay for work which not only provides access to learning for girls but also builds greater resilience across the community. This has informed the emerging ‘Catch Up Club Model’ which Save the Children is trialling in its ‘Safe Back to School’ response.
The power of partnership: It is impossible to implement a project like REALISE without different partners and the expertise they contribute. The project benefitted from a range of strong partners working in different locations. FECONDE managed AEP Centres and AJEDEC implemented school and community-based activities in Ituri. While ALPKO managed AEP Centres and worked with communities in Kongolo, Tanganyika. With the instability and security challenges in Ituri and Tanganyika, local partners well embedded in the community were critical for reaching the most marginalised girls and ensuring they were able to access learning and complete their primary leaving exam, especially during the 2019-2020 academic year and the COVID-19 pandemic.
[1]https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/20.500.12413/15194/750_Barriers_to_education_for_girls_in_DRC.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
[2] Rapid Mid Term Assessment: REALISE, November 2020 – FORCIER - Jonathan Forney, Samuel Ha, and Macklin Scheldrup
[3] Ibid.
[4] Marchais G., Gupta S., Brandt C., Kuliumbwa E., Kithumba O., Kiemtore I., Bazuzi P., Leone M., Justino P., Marginalisation from education in conflict-affected contexts. Learning from Tanganyika and Ituri in the DR Congo, 2019
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Further resources from the REALISE project:
Final reflections: Achievements and lessons learned by the REALISE project
External evaluation: Endline report