Supporting Transition of Adolescent Girls through Enhanced Systems (STAGES)

Link Education International works with Link Education Ethiopia to support 61,345 marginalised girls in 127 primary schools and 17 secondary schools in rural areas within the Wolaita Zone where the overall population density is high.

The project helps them to transition through school or move on to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) or work and become confident citizens. The girls are marginalised economically, socially and culturally and many drop out of school early for reasons such as poverty, school distance, exploitation and unsupportive cultural and societal norms. The project aims to overcome these barriers, encouraging adolescent girls to remain in school through advocacy initiatives including improving access to safe, local and high-quality secondary education and increasing the girls’ literacy and numeracy skills. The project aims to create lasting change by working closely with local officials and operating through government systems to ensure sustainability. The project also focuses on challenging the harmful attitudes and behaviours that stand in the way of girls’ education.

Activities

• Strengthening school leadership and supervision for girls’ education
• Supporting the school improvement planning process for planning which responds to the needs of girls and other vulnerable children, and accountability
• Capacity development for all teachers on pedagogy which is responsive to gender and inclusion, with a social and emotional learning approach
• Support to the government Tutorial Programme in schools, which exists to help girls who are struggling in the classroom
• Constructed four secondary schools in remote rural areas for better access and transition, and upgrading of school latrines
• Provision of direct support to particularly vulnerable girls, including bursaries, basic needs including uniform and scholastic materials, sanitary items, and social/emotional learning support
• Strengthening community engagement in education working with PTAs, School Improvement Committees and Kebele (village) Education and Training Boards, as well as Mother and Father Groups
• Working directly with girls and boys through gender clubs which challenge traditional gender norms
• Supported the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with much learning for possible future emergency and planning

Link Education International: www.linkeducation.org.uk