Ethiopia

The Girls' Education Challenge (GEC) had four projects working in Ethiopia, which improved learning opportunities and outcomes for 109,158 of the country's marginalised girls. 

Projects

Excelling Against the Odds - completed implementation in March 2021 

The Excelling Against the Odds project supported 16,481 girls and was implemented by Child Hope UK.

The project supported marginalised girls and communities that lived in poverty and lacked access to quality education. In Ethiopia, there is worse enrolment and literacy rates in rural areas than urban areas. Schools are inaccessible to many learners due to distance. Schools are often under-resourced and many students struggle in higher grades when the medium of instruction switches to English. The cost of schooling is a barrier for poor families and attitudes are often biased against girls’ education. Families facing economic burdens are more likely to pressure girls into early marriage. Other marginalisation factors include heavy domestic burdens, violence in the home, risky migration and disability.

The project enabled 16,480 marginalised girls aged between seven and 18 in remote areas of Ethiopia to learn in school and successfully transition from primary to secondary education, vocational training, university or employment. This was done by ensuring learning spaces were safe and stimulating, classrooms were well-resourced, and teachers were equipped with effective teaching approaches. The project also worked with community members, including boys, to challenge and change negative social norms, and to ensure support for girls’ education.

Support Transition of Adolescent Girls through Enhanced Systems (STAGES)- completed implementation in August 2024

The STAGES project supported 63,644 girls and was implemented by Link Education International and Link Education Ethiopia to in rural areas within the Wolaita Zone. 

The project supported girls to transition through school or move on to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) or work and become confident citizens. The girls were marginalised economically, socially and culturally and many dropped out of school early for reasons such as poverty, school distance, exploitation and unsupportive cultural and societal norms. The project overcame these barriers, encouraging adolescent girls to remain in school through advocacy initiatives including improving access to safe, local and high-quality secondary education and increasing the girls’ literacy and numeracy skills. The project created lasting change by working closely with local officials and operating through government systems to ensure sustainability. The project also focused on challenging the harmful attitudes and behaviours that stand in the way of girls’ education.

Leave No Girl Behind projects

CHANGE - completed implementation in October 2023

The CHANGE project supported 24,968 girls and was implemented by People in Need (PIN).

The project supported marginalised girls and communities that lived in poverty and lacked access to quality education. In project communities there were high rates of out-of-school children, particularly girls, due to cultural, social and economic barriers. Girls in rural communities were at a particular disadvantage with many families prioritising her role in the household over her education. Many faced long distances to school, particularly in pastoral regions and this posed many safeguarding concerns for girls such as kidnapping and forced marriages. In addition, families living in poverty were unable to afford the direct and indirect costs of schooling.

The project addressed these barriers and improved learning outcomes and life skills for highly marginalised girls, through improving girls’ access to quality formal and non-formal education, and technical and vocational education and training. As well as focusing on academic skills, the project also built girls’ life skills and skills related to income generation and entrepreneurship. A key element of the project approach was their work with community groups and government partners to ensure commitment to supporting girls’ education.

Biruh Tesfa for All - completed implementation in March 2023

The Biruh Tesfa for All project supported 4,065 girls and was implemented by Population Council.

The project worked with out-of-school girls, many of whom were rural-urban migrants and domestic workers. Rural-urban migrants are often young and female, with many migrating to escape a forced marriage in their rural community. These girls are less like to have attended school that urban natives and lack guardianship, social support and friendship networks. Many see their only option as domestic work which is among the lowest status forms of work in Ethiopia. Domestic work keeps girls and young women confined to the home, socially isolated and burdened with excessive domestic duties. These workers are also vulnerable to labour exploitation and sexual abuse.

The project supported 4,065 highly marginalised, out-of-school girls in Ethiopia with new skills and opportunities to facilitate their transition back into school, to improve their literary and numeracy, and to prepare for future employment. This was done through the establishment of safe spaces which were run local female mentors and teachers. Once in safe spaces groups, participating girls receive nonformal education, life skills, financial literacy and entrepreneurship training. After two years, the programme was designed to support girls’ positive transitions into either formal education following official certification in alternative basic education, further educational or training opportunities, or better forms of work.