Lessons from: Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zanzibar and Zambia

1. The Scholarship Programme: A practical solution to systemic factors that hinder girls’ and women’s education in Africa Lessons from: Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zanzibar and Zambia Conference on Girls’ Education 23-24th August, 2017 Lusaka, ZAMBIA

2. Presentation Outline • Introduction and Background to the FAWE Scholarship Programme and Model • Highlights from Chapters • Key impact • Challenges • Recommendations: Towards Agenda 2030

3. Introduction FAWE: • Founded 1992, FAWE, is a pan African organization with 34 national chapters. • The Regional Secretariat in Nairobi coordinates the FAWE network across Africa. • FAWE has greatly contributed to the education landscape in Africa.

4. Introduction • FAWE has several programmes and models. • The signature programme is the Comprehensive Scholarship Programme. • It has 100,000 girls and boys and touched 500,000 families across Africa.

5. The Education Situation Today According to CESA 16-25 • The last two decades, have see educational gains in Africa. • There is more access at all levels. • But upward expansion is still insufficient. Source: Global Monitoring Report 2015 Photo courtesy: FAWE Rwanda

6. The Education Situation Today Source: Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2015

7. The Situation For Girls Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics

8. Drivers Of The Dire Situation • High cost of education • Prioritizing boys while girls stay at home • Socio- cultural norms and beliefs • Deficiencies in the school system and structures • Unsafe school environments • Distances to and from school • Poor menstrual management • Sexual and other forms of violence • Fragile contexts

9. Justification for the Programme • In addition to the great need, the Programme is justified by;

10. The Scholarship Model • FAWE started with a merit-based model • However it had some gaps in the area of “soft” components.

11. The Scholarship Model • The Merit-based model gave birth to the Comprehensive Scholarship Model

12. Highlights from the Chapters Tuseme Club members. Picture courtesy FAWE Kenya Chapter

13. FAWE Kenya • Has implemented a number of scholarships • Outstanding ones- ILO Kenya- USD 4,408.92 and David and Lucille Packard- USD 467,204 • These have reached 940 girls • Outstanding achievement has been increased confidence and improved grades.

14. FAWE Uganda • Since 1997, FAWEU has reached 5,200 girls and 1100 boys with several partners. • This has cost USD 14,878,843. • One of the key outcomes has been having pregnant girls and child-mothers stay in school.

15. Girls supported by FAWEU at Pader Girls Secondary School. The only school in Uganda and East Africa where girls study when pregnant and with their babies in the same setting

16. FAWE Malawi • Has supported young people across 18 districts, notable among them, teen-mothers. • In her words, Ruth Chirwa says; Some people were calling me names , isolating me because I am learning whilst having a child. FAWEMA empowered me as a teen mother and as a teen mother, I have a right to education. FAWEMA also helped me to know that although I am a teen mother, I can associate with other students

17. FAWE Zambia • Over the years has reached more than 53, 281 beneficiaries. • Rebecca Mayoka a 15 year old orphan says; I could have dropped out of school is it was not for the FAWEZA scholarship but I still face a challenge, We live I a house with no electricity and I cannot utilize part of the evenings to catch up with my school work.

18. FAWE Rwanda • FAWE Rwanda has invested millions of dollars in scholarships. • The reach is over 11, 825 girls and boys. • One of the key achievements has been reaching HIV/AIDS infected and affected young people.

19. Happy scholars. Photo courtesy FAWE Rwanda

20. FAWE Zanzibar • Has implemented a scholarship mainly aimed at dropouts, pregnancies, early marriages and STEM. • Key achievements have included getting the students to speak out through Tuseme. • Teachers have also improved outlook of teaching STEM.

21. Sierra Leone • Has support girls who were affected by the war and ebola outbreak. • One outstanding aspect of this intervention has been the Accelerated Learning Programme.

22. Key Impact Across the Chapters

23. Challenges • Resources do not match need • Some scholarships do not cover a full cycle, some cover just a level • Pregnant girls and child mothers are still many • Deep rooted practices and negative practices in school and community

24. Recommendations • Gender equality should be part of government planning and policy. ( Funds, materials and retention and re-entry) • Capacity should be built across sectors on gender responsiveness. • There should be clear mechanisms to measure gender responsiveness and manage data. • Young people should be part of planning. • Governments should adopt good aspects of the scholarship programme e.g. mentoring, Tuseme GRP. • Community advocacy on the importance of sending girls to school and providing for them.