Excelling Against the Odds

Project completed implementation in March 2021

This project aimed to support 16,480 marginalised girls in remote areas of Ethiopia who faced challenges of early marriage, street-life and heavy domestic work.

It encouraged them to regularly attend primary and secondary school by creating stimulating and appropriate classrooms. It also equipped them with functional literacy and numeracy by providing teachers with training and mentoring necessary to tailor their teaching to the needs of individual girls. It empowered girls by offering life skills and raising their aspirations. As well as supporting individual girls, the project aimed to influence wider social change around issues of gender in Ethiopian society by instigating a ‘Girls’ Movement’. This movement is led by young female leaders of all age groups, who lead local campaigns promoting the value of girls’ education.

Activities

• Offered an entrepreneurship and employability skills development service to support girls who choose vocational education or who wish to enter the workplace. The project worked to develop meaningful employment opportunities in partnership with technical and vocational education and training agencies and the private sector
• Contributed to school fees and provided learning materials
• Provided around 900 teachers with training, mentoring, and coaching to develop more effective teaching approaches that are tailored to the specific needs of girls
• Created safer and stimulating learning spaces for girls by refurbishing schools and maintaining strong violence reporting mechanism
• Instigated a school-based ‘Girls’ Movement’ and communication campaign that empowers girls with key life skills, as well as challenging gender norms in communities
• In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, provided distance learning materials, hygiene products and health information leaflets to keep girls and their families safe.

ChildHope UK: https://www.childhope.org.uk/