Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER)

The EAGER project supported 27,313 girls and was implemented by the International Rescue Committee in Sierra Leone.

Educational attainment and literacy levels across Sierra Leone are low, and even more so for women and girls. Much of the gender disparity in education begins in adolescence, when more value begins to be placed on girls’ domestic roles, rather than their education. This is evident in the widening gender inequality later in the education system, with more girls than boys dropping out as they move through Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary School. Adolescent pregnancy and child marriage rates in Sierra Leone are among the highest globally, resulting in an estimated 20% of girls dropping out of the classroom. At the school level, gender-based violence is evident, with violence occurring both on the way to school and in school.

EAGER supported Sierra Leone’s most marginalised, adolescent girls. This included girls who were pregnant or young mothers, girls who were married, those affected by Ebola, those affected by violence, and those who were engaged in income-generating activities and/or could afford the cost of schooling. It addressed the multiple barriers to participation and learning that girls experience and created accessible opportunities and supportive spaces for girls to build practical and empowering skills. These skills were tailored to the girls’ context and daily lives so they could be practised and utilised to create positive changes for themselves, their families and communities. EAGER supported girls to transition primarily to vocational and professional training, self-employment or other employment, and where feasible, formal or non-formal education.

Main activities

• Delivering an 8-month learning programme which focused on developing literacy, numeracy, financial literacy and life skills. It also focused on developing individual empowerment plans.
• Establishing safe spaces where girls could learn, facilitated by trained mentors and teachers from the community.
• Developing transition plans through one-to-one mentoring. This included guidance to create a market-driven business plan, links to local markets and/or the provision of start-up/growth grants.
• Supporting the Government of Sierra Leone to achieve their strategic outcomes for increased literacy for out-of-school youth and engage the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in developing the first approved basic literacy and numeracy curriculum for out-of-school adolescent girls.
• Holding community dialogues at the village and chiefdom-level, and broadcasting radio-dramas and discussions to raise awareness on barriers to girls’ education.

The project in numbers

Lessons learned

It is important to tailor teaching approaches and the curricula to the abilities and context of adolescent girls. Out-of-school adolescent girls may need to learn the same skills and content as young learners, but in a different way. Adolescents have more critical thinking skills and, for an adolescent girl, concepts are more easily brought to life through dialogue, reflection, discussion and peer work. The project adapted the curricula to really speak to the daily realities of the girls. The schedule, the content, the teaching approach, everything was adjusted to fit what the girls needed in terms of their competences and skills

The Empowerment Plan alongside cash grants was an effective combination in supporting girls’ transition. It encouraged each girl to identify goals for herself and think through what key steps she must take to achieve each goal. This individualised approach allowed room for a range of interests, skills, ages, abilities and other marginalisation factors. Conditional cash grants provided girls with the experience of making their own financial decisions about how to spend the funds based on the goals they defined in their Empowerment Plan.

Inclusive strategies are needed to respond to the diverse needs of girls. The project emphasised inclusion, respect and recognition of every girl’s right to participate and learn. One of the strategies included the EAGER Access to Learning Fund which supported girls with disabilities to access the Learning Programme. Additional support was also provided to girls who were pregnant, lactating mothers, or those with young children. A need for significant emotional support and encouragement was also identified, and training was provided to mentors in this area.

International Rescue Committee: https://www.rescue.org/