CHANGE

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

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.

Main activities

• Offering Alternative Basic Education programmes for younger girls aged 10 to 14 and Integrated Adult Functional Literacy programmes for girls aged 15 to 19.
• Providing short-term technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to facilitate the transition to employment opportunities and income generation.
• Training 577 teachers and facilitators in gender-responsive pedagogy, multi-level/grade, child-centred and inclusive teaching methods.
• Establishing 565 self-help groups to provide life skills, psychosocial care, rights awareness, income generating activities training, business management guidance and peer support, with linkages to credit institutions and cooperatives.
• Working with communities (parents/caregivers) through 223 structured community action groups to drive positive attitudinal change towards girls’ education.
• Providing direct cash support to 4,776 girls.

The project in numbers

Lessons learned

Projects should adapt to regional contexts. In a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country like Ethiopia a standardised approach to girls’ education could not be applied. It was important to ensure that each region developed their own tailored approach. For example, regionally specific curricula reflecting cultural context and respecting local language were developed for each region.

When facing long-term instability, it is crucial to prepare flexible contingency plans and budgets. Unplanned adjustments were the most difficult challenges the project faced, due to COVID-19, conflicts, displacements, natural disasters and political unrest. Continuous follow-up with girls and communities and a readiness to adapt was essential to ensure interventions were continuously addressing needs.

Work with communities as drivers of change to enhance success and sustainability. Community action groups played a vital role in identifying highly marginalised girls, in reducing girls’ absenteeism from school and in ensuring the learning environments were inclusive and safe. They also played an invaluable role in mobilising the local community and advocating for the importance of girls’ education through community campaigns.

Consider all pathways. After completing the integrated functional adult learning programme, some girls were more interested in joining self-help groups than transitioning to TVET schools. Access to these schools and low employment opportunities meant that they were not always the most suitable/preferable option. Self-help groups gave girls the opportunity to create their own income and get support from other women when developing a business plan.

People in Need: https://www.clovekvtisni.cz/en/