Project profile — Girls' Education for a Better Future in the Great Lakes Region

• Congo, Democratic Republic (33.33%)
• Rwanda (33.34%)
• Burundi (33.33%)

• Basic Education: Primary education (11220) (30.00%)
• Secondary education:
Secondary education (11320) (30.00%)
Vocational training (11330) (25.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Ending violence against women and girls (15180) (15.00%)

• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (significant objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)

This project aims to increase the empowerment of girls, adolescent girls and women through education, including those who are refugees, displaced, returning to their countries of origin and persons with disabilities in the Great Lakes region. The project is a regional response to the educational needs of girls, adolescent girls and women. The project identified twenty-four primary and secondary schools in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to benefit from its activities, with a total of 34,827 students between the ages of 5 and 18 (50% of whom are girls and 80% of whom are refugees/displaced persons). The project anticipates helping 22,172 girls enrolled in these schools (between the ages of 5 and 18, and of whom 73% are refugees or displaced persons) to experience an improvement in their education. 1,280 out-of-school girls and women will benefit from informal vocational training and support to develop income-generating activities and 6,300 women to strengthen their commitment to girls' education. This totals 22,314 empowered girls, adolescent girls and women as direct beneficiaries of the project. Project activities include: (1) conducting a participatory, holistic and gender-sensitive study on the individual status of girls and adolescent girls, including refugees, displaced persons, returnees and persons living with disabilities (RDRD), and the obstacles and specific demands related to their education; (2) developing, with the education staff, teaching and learning materials that are inclusive, gender-sensitive and adapted to the realities of the most vulnerable girls and adolescents, including RDRD; and (3) strengthening coordination mechanisms among local, national and regional actors involved in women's education to increase their participation and the consideration of their voices. The project is implemented by the Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation in partnership with local partners, including Caritas in the DRC, Maison Shalom in Rwanda, the Concertation des collectifs des associations féminines de la région des Grands-Lacs and Humanité et inclusion (Handicap International).

The expected results of this project include : (1) increased equitable access and retention of the most vulnerable girls and adolescent girls, including RDRD, in safe, quality and inclusive education; (2) improved equitable provision of innovative, safe, quality, gender-sensitive formal and non-formal education for the most vulnerable girls, adolescent girls and women, including RDRD; (3) increased voice and leadership of the most vulnerable girls, adolescent girls and women, including RDRD, in decision-making processes that affect them and in claiming their right to education.

Results achieved as of March 2021 include: (1) recruited, trained and mobilized 90 women from communities across Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. These women assessed the obstacles and demands that prevent high-school-aged girls from going to school and initiated a dialogue between project partners and influential community members; (2) trained and strengthened 36 mothers’ clubs and 29 fathers’ clubs on themes regarding girl and adolescent girl rights, sexual and gender-based violence reduction, and education through partners initiated consultations with administrative and teaching staff. These consultations focused on identifying training and capacity-building needs for more inclusive and gender-responsive education and identifying out-of-school girls and adolescent girls to participate in training and professional integration programs; (3) involved members of management structures in several project activities in strengthening the capacities of girls, adolescent girls and women. Also carried-out several regional advocacy initiatives to strengthen the capacities of the Concertation des collectifs des associations féminines de la région des Grands-Lacs and other women’s organizations; (4) initiated a dialogue between parents’ associations and women’s rights organizations, political and religious leaders, and host and refugee communities. Trained these parties in the social contract approach. This process allows for social dialogue leading to a more formal social contract that truly engages these communities to protect girls and adolescent girls' rights, sexual and gender-based violence and the importance of girls and adolescent girls' education Accompanied these parties to identify obstacles and barriers encountered by girls and adolescent girls; and (5) supported educational actors and provided equipment and alternative learning mechanisms during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Provided 1,175 girls and adolescent girls (425 in DRC and 750 in Rwanda) with school and pedagogical materials, including workbooks for distance learning. Provided 672 households (425 in DRC and 247 in Rwanda) with solar-powered radios so that youth could follow the lessons broadcast on the radio. Provided 135 teachers (42 in DRC and 93 in Rwanda) with solar-powered radios to hear the lessons broadcast to students on the radio ; and mobilized 135 teachers (42 in DRC and 93 in Rwanda ) to follow up on learning and to catch up on learning delays caused by the closure.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Girls’ Education for a Better Future in the Great Lakes Region - Response to COVID-19