Project profile — Promoting Greater Access to University for Girls

• Ethiopia (100.00%)

• Secondary Education: Secondary education (11320) (50.00%)
• Post-Secondary Education: Higher education (11420) (50.00%)

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

The initiative aims to improve the academic performance, leadership and self-determination of high school girls in the remote region of Benishangul-Gumuz in Ethiopia and develop their academic capacity for higher education. Project activities include: (1) increasing community and familial encouragement of girls' enrollment in formal education; (2) improving academic performance, leadership abilities and autonomy of girls; and (3) enhancing regional, zonal and district-level governance, administration and delivery of gender-equitable education for girls. The project supports the enhancement of academic, social and soft skills for adolescent girls and strengthens the capacity of teachers and educational institutions to deliver quality and gender-sensitive education. It will adopt a holistic and transformational approach to address barriers to girls’ higher education, including through community engagement.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased community and familial encouragement of girls' enrollment in formal education; (2) improved academic performance, leadership abilities and autonomy of girls; and (3) enhanced regional, zonal and district-level governance, administration and delivery of gender equitable education for girls.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) increased community members’ awareness of the importance of girls' education to 87.7%, surpassing the 80% target; (2) 98.4% of community members, parents, and guardians reported to have positive attitudes toward girls’ education, exceeding the target by 122.9%; (3) 88.5% of girls reported an improvement in their soft skills, nearing the 92% target and showing a big improvement from the baseline of 76%; (4) allowed 73.3% of the target families to adopte technical agricultural innovations, almost reaching the 75% target; and (5) 86.5% of target families reported an increase in economic resources, surpassing 2023 to 2024 fiscal year target of 65%. This achievement is crucial for dismantling financial barriers to education access for marginalized girls.

• Proactive disclosure
• Related activities: Promoting Greater Access to University for GIRLS