Promotion of Girls' Education (PROGE)

The project's rationale builds on research findings about existence of female discrimination within the community and at school as a result of gender stereotypes that lead many parents to prefer to educate a boy rather than a girl. Behaviour change communication (BCC) activities were combined with community mobilisation in schools and among community members. The approach was to address individual-level changes while also encouraging chiefs and traditional leaders to revisit their social norms to address community-level changes. Capacity development combined with public outreach through mass media messages promoting child friendly teaching methodologies and re-admission policies were used to create an enabling environment for girls to access and stay in school while at the same time supporting changes in communities at the institutional and policy level.

Specifically, to achieve change in attitudes towards women and girls, PROGE used a 3-pronged approach to engage students, teachers, and other community members in support of girls' education:

• Girls' Education Networks: PROGE worked to provide girls with a network of peers, family members, and other female role-models to encourage them in their education. Through mentorship, counseling, and retreats, as well as girls' groups and mothers' groups, PROGE provided its students with mental and emotional support to overcome their education challenges.
• Female Teacher Networks: PROGE assisted teachers through School Management Committees (SMCs) and teacher training initiatives that focused on ways to support girls' education.
• Communication Activities: Through mass media interventions, PROGE provided local communities with relevant information on girls' education and the PROGE education programme to encourage Malawian citizens to advocate for every girl's right to education.

These initiatives were implemented in partnership with several government entities such as the Ministry of Gender, district education management offices, and primary education advisors.

PROGE's ongoing objectives include the following: support 100 open dialogue forums, public debate, and interface on issues affecting girls; increase community sensitisation on the importance of girls' education and the re-admission policy; establish or strengthen the functionality of 84 Mother Groups; establish and support 84 female teacher networks as role models and mentors for the girl; and inform government field workers at the district level about policies and strategies that promote girls' education.

Girls, Education

In Malawi, significant numbers of girls continue to drop out during primary school and before secondary school. This is particularly the case in rural areas and among economically poor families. Various research has found that social, cultural, and behavioural factors affect girls' access and retention.

According to organisers, as a result of PROGE, girls' enrolment increased from 84,028 to 88,528 (representing a change of 5.4%). The average retention was at 50% within 2 years (transition from one class to the next not from Standard 1 – Standard 8). 75% of the PROGE schools showed child-friendly characteristics. It contributed to influencing policies on girls' education - i.e., re-admission policy - and initiated formation of bi-laws towards promoting girls' education at the community level.