Closing the Gap

Project completed implementation in May 2023

ACTED’s Closing the Gap project recognised the multiple barriers to education that the most marginalised girls face in Pakistan. These include, but are not limited to, financial barriers, lack of qualified female teachers, insecurity and acceptance of girls’ education. It also recognised the need for innovative thinking around access to education, such as mobile libraries and home learning, if current and future generations of girls are to realise their full potential. 

This project targeted out-of-school girls, aged 10-19 years. It was implemented in Sindh and Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) which are two areas of Pakistan with some of the lowest learning outcomes and challenging social environments for girls and women.

Activities

• Delivered a 30-month Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) for girls aged 10-13 years.
• Prepared girls who graduate from the ALP for formal school entrance examinations so that they can continue their education.
• Supported girls of varying abilities through the provision of additional catch-up classes.
• Provided literacy and numeracy training to girls aged 14-19 years coupled with skills, vocational and financial literacy training for those aged 16-19 years to support their transition to employment.
• Provided needs-based childcare support.
• Offered financial support through competitive business start-up grants and internships to graduates of skills/vocational training.
• Improved accessibility to education through the introduction of mobile libraries, opportunities for learning at home and community spaces.
• Ensured project sustainability through training female teachers from within target communities and the formation and training of school management committees, and regular parent/teacher meetings.

ACTED: https://www.acted.org/en/