Fostering an enabling environment for girls
This component aims to galvanize support for girls’ education and empowerment among families, communities and schools by addressing them and-side constraints to girls’ participation in education. Specifically, this component will be achieved through the following subcomponents:
Promoting social and behavioural change through communications campaigns, engagement with traditional rulers, and advocacy
The project will carry out strategic communications campaigns at the Federal and State levels with an overall objective of behavioural change, awareness-raising and project information dissemination. The Campaigns will also promote the importance of the need for a safe, enabling and inclusive learning environment, including prevention and mitigation of (Gender-Based Violence / Sexual Exploitation Acts) GBV/SEA, and ensuring a specific focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities to help dispel existing myths and address discrimination. State-level awareness campaigns will promote social acceptance of girls’ education and promote hygienic practices to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Empowering girls with critical life skills knowledge for navigating adulthood and digital literacy skills
The objective of this subcomponent is to empower girls with different skill sets which will be useful as they transition to adulthood. The subcomponent has two main activities: (a) life skills, and (b) digital literacy skills. Life skills are critical in building girls’ capacity and confidence to effectively navigate the transition to adulthood and the workplace. In addition, elements to raise awareness of climate change and effective actions will be integrated into the life skills training programs. Under this subcomponent, support will also be provided to implement a training program to promote digital literacy for all girls and boys in targeted schools.
Providing financial incentives to the poorest households
The objective of this sub-component is to address demand-side financial barriers to girls’ entry to and completion of secondary school. To reduce direct and indirect costs related to girls’ enrolment, attendance and completion, the proposed subcomponent will provide support to alleviate the financial burden households face in sending their girls to school through a girl’s scholarship program (GSP). The subcomponent will financially incentivize girls’ transition to JSS and SSS and their attendance and completion of secondary school. This intervention will be implemented in targeted LGAs in six states participating in the project (excluding Ekiti).