Empowering a New Generation of Adolescent Girls with Education (ENGAGE)

The ENGAGE project supported 2,525 girls and was implemented by Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in Nepal.

ENGAGE helped improve learning outcomes and empower highly marginalised adolescent out of-school girls– including those with disabilities – in project communities. The girls were out of school for many reasons. These included domestic duties in the household, little value placed on their education (and a lack of encouragement), economic barriers and child marriage. Research showed that married girls in Nepal are ten times more likely to drop out than their unmarried peers.

The project improved girls’ basic literacy and numeracy skills and increased their access to quality and inclusive formal or non-formal education and employment opportunities. It worked with community and government partners to set up and equip 27 Community Learning Centres (CLCs). Girls had opportunities to attend bridge and preparatory classes in CLCs and remedial support classes in schools. The project equipped girls with transferable skills for improved learning, better decision-making, more active roles in family decisions and the pursuit of their own economic opportunities. ENGAGE achieved this through peer-support for adolescent girls, community interventions, social support for families of children with disabilities, structured trainings for teachers and mentors, and a key focus on inclusion of children with special needs.

Main activities

• Establishing 27 Community Learning Centres to build girls’ skills with special resourcing for girls with disabilities. Complementary learning activities; peer-based mentoring (older girls supporting younger girls), life skills, sexual and reproductive health and rights, vocational skills, financial literacy and business skills.

• Supporting younger girls with school enrolment, provided personalised social support to older girls, and established remedial classes for those that required additional support.

• Delivering training for educators and mentors to ensure quality teaching and inclusive teaching environments.

• Supporting Nepal Government education officials to adopt the Washington Group set of questions for identification of disabilities among children along with assistance in developing an education management information system (EMIS) for improved tracking and knowledge management.

• Supporting the development of a collaborative advocacy network - the Girls Inclusive Education Network (GIEN) for continued communication and awareness on girls’ education at all tiers of the education system.

The project in numbers

Lessons learned

Big Sisters were instrumental in ensuring girls continued learning during COVID-19. The Big Sisters were engaged early in the project. Before the pandemic, they had been working with Little Sisters, parents and communities for some time. This positioned them well to support girls as schools closed, as they had formed relationships with girls and built trust with parents.

Girls need to continue to be supported once they transition to formal school – getting them there is not enough. An important aspect was engaging parents and the Big Sister mentors. Big Sisters followed up with girls who had low attendance or were falling behind academically. Remedial support classes were provided to girls struggling with their academic performance.

Linkage with micro-finance institutes (MFIs) has enabled girls to pursue their livelihoods successfully. The project linked girls with MFIs, who provided them access to credit with low-interest rates and saving facilities. This helps ensure girls’ access to credit beyond the project’s life cycle.

GIEN provides a platform and voice for the most marginalised girls beyond the project period. The GIEN provides an opportunity to voice the concerns of the marginalised, including girls with disabilities and provides them with opportunities to actualise their leadership skills. The network was set up at the school level (in 84 schools) and the municipal level (in seven municipalities), which was important to ensure networks were sustained once the project closed.

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO): https://www.vsointernational.org/