Economic Empowerment of Girls in Post-Conflict Situations through TVET
Institution: Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
An estimated 39 million of the 77 million children who live in conflict-affected areas are out-of-school. This staggering figure illustrates the situation of children who missed school due to conflict, and girls are at a further socio-economic disadvantage in many cases. Girls and women living in conflict-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa have limited access to educational resources and opportunities. Without requisite education and training, they fail to earn a livelihood and contribute to the labor market.
In response to this, The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), a pan-African NGO, partnered with the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) to offer marginalized girls and women in four conflict-affected countries opportunities for alternative education. FAWE also aims to provide girls with vocational skills in previously male-oriented fields for increased absorption into the labor market.
FAWE implementation is through formal and informal partnerships and collaborations; partners include government ministries, funding agency, TVET institutions, private institutions, local CSO’s, administration, community leaders and members, local industries and private sector. The programme implementation was in two phases between 2009 and 2013, and it went through all the stages of implementation.
Gender equity in Education is a MUST: Every girl irrespective of the circumstances deserves the right to quality and relevant Education”
The innovation of FAWE stems from it aiming to include girls and women in TVET skills development in subject areas previously perceived to be solely for the males, and it is context-specific according to the national and local needs.
FAWE uses an integrated approach in its interventions to ensure maximum impact and sustainability. The strategies and activities considered in the TVET model rollout areas highlighted below:
-
Scholarship opportunities: - FAWE provides scholarship opportunities for scholars who demonstrate interests but the barrier are affirmed to be poverty-related.
-
Partnership and networking: FAWE brings into picture different partners, including funding, strategic, implementing, community, scholars, among others.
-
Advocacy and policy engagement: -, FAWE considers evidence and documentation on the processes to advocate with governments, policymakers, communities on the need to support the intervention, institutionalize, and change policies to be responsive. FAWE equally makes deliberate efforts to work within the current governments’ structure to enhance the sustainability of the interventions.
-
Mentorship, linkages and seed grant: - TVET model ensures that scholars are linked not only to the senior professionals in their field of interest but also industries and companies in which they get the opportunities to sharpen their skills. Finally, depending on funds availability, scholars with highly innovative projects are offered seed money to grow their innovations.
-
Integrated into the TVET Project was the Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP); a teachers’ capacity development training module and TUSEME (let us speak out), which built the beneficiaries’ self-esteem and strengthened their commitment to TVET training.
-
The Project provided 894 out-of-school girls the opportunity to acquire technical and entrepreneurship skills.
-
The beneficiaries formed associations and started their small businesses from the starter kits (seed money) and loans provided by FAWE.
-
TVET policies were also found to have been impacted on by the Project as they were examined or revised at the governmental level and institutional level to make TVET more equitably accessible and beneficial to both women and men. Gender Task Forces at national and institutional level examined policies, and established codes of conduct to make TVET gender-responsive.
Burundi Results
-
Partnered with 8 TVET institutions
-
Trained 182 students. Out of the 182 students, 115 officially received certification from the Ministry of Education associated with TVET.
-
The Project assisted 65 students with additional support in learning skills and language training in French to boost their capacity before starting TVET course
Liberia Results
-
Trained 116 young girls. Seventy of the 116 girls received internships and 35 received uniforms, startup kits, and certificates from the “Earn and Learn” initiative.
Somalia Results
-
Provide training and entrepreneurial skills to 150 beneficiaries.
Sierra Leone Results
-
Five institutions participated in the Project in Sierra Leone during phase 1 (2010-2012).
-
110 were selected and awarded scholarships to attend TVET courses
Key Enablers of Success
-
Clear communication channels among the various stakeholders
-
Strong partnership and networks with the key partners, especially the government line ministries.
-
Working within existing government structures.
Challenges/Barriers
-
Challenges faced included inadequate allowance to cover the required basic needs of beneficiaries due to high poverty levels, which affected the capacity to provide for transportation costs, childcare, and personal well-being; unequal or inadequate levels of formal education and language barriers, and implementation delays in the project.
Moving Forward
Scale (Replicability)
The model is replicable, consider:
-
Post-conflict countries must begin with a formal baseline assessment of the labour market needs, along with TVET education trends for men and women.
-
Establish partner buy-in
-
Quality teaching and learning with gender-balanced pedagogy
-
Continuous monitoring and evaluation.
-
Build tracking mechanisms for beneficiaries with an emphasis on community give back principle.
-
Providing seed money for business start-up and scholars institutional linkages
-
Enhanced linkages to employment, entrepreneurship, and the labour market.
Sustainability
-
FAWE works within the existing government structures not only to enhance sustainability but also to ensure that the model is institutionalized and replicated by the respective government.
-
Diversification of funding base
-
Partnership and networking with like-minded partners especially the Public-private partnership initiatives to fully support the programme (repetition)
-
Advocacy for and policy engagement with governments and policymakers for the model’s institutionalization
Post programme exit strategy (e.g., champions; integration into government systems).
Resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI95QnROVNo&t=6s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu6ztDij-QA&t=7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB8mOw76p-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH2WNCz9J3g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxpbU5ca2aA&t=16s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdirUtIpX_w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_r8od0vi6Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh2BSNu3Xg