When marginalised adolescent girls in Malawi, Nepal and Ethiopia were asked to identify the benefit they valued the most from their involvement in a GEC project, the top of their list was ‘improved literacy’.*
This sentiment was shared widely across the GEC. Girls valued the opportunity to acquire functional literacy skills that they could apply in their daily lives, especially those supported by the ‘Leave No Girl Behind’ projects.
These projects targeted highly marginalised girls aged 10 to 19 who had dropped out or had never been able to enrol in school. For many of these girls, particularly the older ones, returning to formal academic learning was not an option. This raises a compelling question: Why do marginalised adolescent girls, who are unlikely to return to a classroom, place such high value on acquiring literacy skills?
The positive impacts of improved literacy skills are well documented. Literacy opens the door to other forms of knowledge and is essential for acquiring higher-order skills. It enables girls to navigate and succeed in the labour market, and research consistently links higher literacy levels with better education and health outcomes for their children.
“Achieving literacy accounts for 36% of child survival improvement, 50% of the reduction in fertility, and 80% of the increase in female empowerment from basic education.”**
For the younger girls, gaining foundational skills in literacy and numeracy has often facilitated their return to formal education. However, for older girls, literacy served a different, more immediate purpose: it equipped them to run businesses more efficiently and generate more income. Across projects, girls and their caregivers were primarily interested in attaining literacy and numeracy skills that they could apply in their everyday lives. These skills were crucial for establishing independence, fulfilling caregiving responsibilities, and, most importantly, generating income.
In a focus group discussion in Kenya, community members explained that because of improved literacy skills and confidence, girls were now going to the hospital on their own: “They could explain their issues to practitioners sufficiently eloquently compared to before. Additionally, they can read and comprehend their prescriptions, read the expiry dates of the drugs, and are familiar with the benefits of child immunisation.”***
Literacy as a catalyst for empowerment
When projects placed girls' empowerment at the centre of their approach, girls' literacy skills improved – and so did their sense of self-worth and agency. Girls reported a boost in self-esteem that came with learning to read and write.
“It increased my self-confidence. Before, I didn't know how to write my name, but now I've reached a milestone. It has had a big and positive effect on my life. Before, I was a shy person who didn't socialise, but now I can go out to a community of people, socialise and share my ideas.”
22-year-old married, mother of one, Somalia****
The ability to read and write confidently and be numerate had a positive impact on how the girls viewed themselves and their status. It also shifted the community members’ view of them. Improved literacy has had a profound impact on the girls' self-perception and their standing within their communities.
"They are admiring me now. They used to avoid walking with me to the shops because I was so dirty. Now I’m somebody. Now we are of the same class."
Girl from a rural community, Zimbabwe
Moreover, functional literacy skills significantly interplay with the ability to generate income and run businesses more efficiently and independently. This, in turn, contributes to economic empowerment and, in some cases, social mobility and inclusion for these marginalised girls.
“Sometimes, when people in my compound want to go to the market, they will ask me to help them to write the list because they know that I can now write. This makes me very happy. I also gather about eight small children in the community and teach them English and maths.”
Out-of-school girl, Nigeria
What does an empowering approach to literacy look like?
What does it mean to put empowerment at the centre of your literacy approach? The key is ensuring girls have agency. Taking a closer look at one project’s journey helps illuminate how to do this.
The EAGER project, led by IRC in Sierra Leone, got many things right at its design stage. The learning content was practical and grounded in real-world examples, making it transferable to the learners' everyday lives. For example, literacy lessons focused on practical skills such as reading instructions for running a small business, understanding contracts or managing finances. The approach recognised that for an adolescent girl, concepts are more easily brought to life through dialogue, reflection, discussion and engagement with peers. The curriculum incorporated storytelling into their literacy and life skills sessions, creating characters to which the girls could relate.
Adapting to realities: a flexible approach to learning
While there was a sound pedagogical approach to literacy at the design stage, there was more to learn about how to ensure an empowering approach in the purest sense that enabled girls to fulfil their potential. Central to Amartya Sen’s capability approach is investment in an individual’s skills, knowledge and most importantly, voice. This is particularly important for projects working with those most marginalised and ‘voiceless’.
Reconceptualising transition as empowerment
When EAGER started, transition was conceptualised around set pathways. Once girls acquired literacy and other academic skills, they would transition to further education, vocational training and employment. As the project team began to understand the girls’ lives, communities and opportunities more deeply, they started to question these pathways. They quickly realised that not only did the girls lack the skills to start on these tracks, but also that such opportunities were often unavailable in the areas where the project was operating. Thus, they reconceptualised transition as empowerment. This meant supporting girls' agency and empowering them to define for themselves what transition meant to them. The team recognised that girls have their own ideas for their lives, they want to be self-reliant, and they are capable of making decisions and plans for themselves.
As the project manager noted, "We thought, let’s create an environment where we equip girls with the skills, knowledge and tools they need to ask themselves those questions and find the answers. And even if these answers may change over time, that's okay. The whole point is having the agency to use what you’ve learned, use your skills, and leverage your relationships with your peers and community in a healthy and positive way to decide what you want to do for yourself."
At the end of the learning programme, the girls created their own 'Empowerment Plan,' setting goals across different dimensions of their lives. They asked themselves: What does empowerment mean in terms of learning? How can I continue learning? What does it mean for me in my household and community? What does it mean in terms of financial empowerment? Throughout the programme, the girls were guided to think about these elements, continuously linking their literacy skills to their future goals and aspirations.
Conclusion: Literacy as a gateway to agency and empowerment
Many GEC projects have shown that literacy is far more than just the ability to read and write; it is a gateway to agency, empowerment and independence for marginalised adolescent girls. By adapting learning approaches to the realities of these girls' lives and placing empowerment at the centre of their literacy education, these projects have enabled girls not only to improve their literacy skills but also to gain the confidence, independence and agency needed to shape their own futures.
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* Value for Money of Educating the Most Marginalised Girls through the GEC. The next most important were improved numeracy and re-joining formal schooling
** Kaffenberger, M., Pritchett, L., & Sandefur, J. (2018). Estimating the impact of women’s education on fertility, child mortality, and empowerment when schooling ain’t learning. [línea], disponible en: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/estimatingimpact-womens-education-fertility-child-mortality-and-empowerment-when, consultado el, 10.
***https://girlseducationchallenge.org/media/bh0ibkw2/efl-endline-report-version-5-website.pdf
**** https://girlseducationchallenge.org/media/axmlaoo4/rrlf_somgep-study_final_dec2022.pdf