Peace Corps

In the Classroom:

Empowering Girls

Idea Book

M0083

................................................................................ .................................................................................
Information Collection

and Exchange

This publication was produced by the Peace Corps Center for Field

Assistance and Applied Research. It is distributed through the

Information Collection and Exchange (ICE). For further information

or additional copies, please contact ICE and refer to the ICE Catalog

number that appears on the publication.

Peace Corps

Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research

Information Collection and Exchange

1111 20th Street, NW – Fifth Floor

Washington, DC 20526

Add your experience to the ICE Resource Center. Send your

materials to ICE or the Center for Field Assistance and Applied

Research so that we can share them with other Volunteers. Your

technical insights serve as the basis for the generation of Peace

Corps manuals, reprints, and training materials. They also ensure

that the Peace Corps is providing the most up-to-date, innovative

problem-solving techniques and information available to you

and your fellow development workers.

There is a special form at the end of this booklet for submitting

your activities for future Idea Books.
Empowering Girls

i

IN THE CLASSROOM:

EMPOWERING

GIRLS

Peace Corps

November 2001

Information Collection and Exchange

Publication No. M0083
In the Classroom:

ii Peace Corps

The Idea Book Series

This Idea Book is one of a series of booklets produced to share specific

activities you may be interested in replicating. Other titles in the series

are listed below and new ones are being produced continuously. Most

of these ideas come from the work of Volunteers. Most of them were

submitted just as they are printed ó there is no additional information.

Others were parts of larger reports. Where there are additional reference

materials for an idea, notations tell you how to obtain them. There is

also a reference section at the end of the booklet. Please contact the

appropriate person/group to follow up on the ideas.

You are encouraged to submit your successful activities to this series.

You will find a form on the final page of this booklet with instructions.

Titles in the Idea Book Series:

Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls ñ M0080

HIV/AIDS: Integrating Prevention and Care Into Your Sector ñ

M00081

In the Classroom: Empowering Girls ñ M0083

Disaster Preparedness:

Integrating Disaster Prevention into Your Sector ñ M0084

Potential Titles in the Idea Book Series:

Information and Communication Technologies:

Integrating Digital Tools into Your Sector

SPA Grants: Small Project Assistance Program

Supporting Community Development
Empowering Girls

iii

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ......................................................................... iv

Introduction ...................................................................................... 1

Why Focus on Girls Education? ....................................................... 2

Things to Consider ........................................................................... 3

A Holistic Approach to Girlsí Education ......................................... 7

Creating a Girl-Friendly Learning Environment .............................. 9

Classroom and Curriculum-Related Activities ............................... 16

Co-Curricular Activities ................................................................. 22

Awards and Incentives .................................................................... 30

Scholarships .................................................................................... 36

Resources ........................................................................................ 50

Appendices

1) Model Lesson: Math ñ

Gender Differences in Daily Life ...................................... 55

2) Niger: Regional Girlsí Education Festivals ...................... 61

3) School Development Workshop:

ìEncouraging Excellenceî Sample Agenda ...................... 67

4) Improving Educational Opportunities for Girls ................ 69

(from the Institute for International Research Consortium)
In the Classroom:

iv Peace Corps

Acknowledgements

Numerous field and headquarters staff worked to complete the publication of In the Classroom: Empowering Girls. The Peace Corps

appreciates the contributions of articles, ideas and photographs by

Volunteers, counterparts and staff throughout the world; and the efforts

of all those who participated in this process.
Empowering Girls

1

Introduction

The close relationships Peace Corps Volunteers develop with their

communities and schools place them in a unique position to influence

the behaviors and attitudes of the young women and men with whom

they work. The first Idea Book in this series, Beyond the Classroom:

Empowering Girls, was designed to give Volunteers examples and

ideas for out-of-school activities like camps, clubs, workshops and

other events that encourage goal setting, increase self-esteem, and build

girlsí confidence so that they are able to actively participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives.

This Idea book concentrates on activities and strategies that increase

girlsí access to and participation in

quality in-school education. Volunteers are perceived as role models,

technical specialists, teachers, counselors, heroes and friends. This book

shares specific ideas and frameworks

for transferring that potential for

positive guidance into classrooms

and communities around the world.

Whether you are a teacher working

daily in the classroom, or a Health,

Business, or Environment Volunteer

working with students, you will find

useful tips in this book from other

Volunteers and staff that may be incorporated in class projects in a

variety of ways.

ï Design a curriculum

or lesson plan that

encourages girlsí

participation in the

classroom.

ï Set up a scholarship

program in collaboration with a local NGO.

ï Create a girl-friendly

school environment.

ï Mobilize family and

community support for

girlsí education.

Empowering

Girls
In the Classroom:

2 Peace Corps

Why Focus on Girlsí

Education?

For over 50 years, world governments have affirmed a commitment

to the principle of Education for All (EFA). On UNICEFís website is

a declaration from the Dakar World Forum on Education that states,

ìÖeducation is a fundamental right of every person;

a key to other human rights; the heart of all development and the essential prerequisite for equality and

lasting peace.î

Unfortunately, more than 130 million children in developing countries who should be attending primary school, are not. Two-thirds of

these children are girls.

Peace Corps Volunteers working in any sector can have tremendous

influence in the lives of young girls and boys in their communities,

many of whom are counted among the millions of children without

access to basic education. The Peace Corps has a special initiative to

support girlsí education, in part because fewer girls than boys are able

to attend school, but also because it is a fact that girlsí education is the

variable most highly correlated with improvements in a societyís

general well-being. Through primary school, for every additional year

of education a girl receives, the rate of infant and child mortality

decreases, while the family health and economic security increases.
Empowering Girls

3

Things to Consider

as You Read

Despite the documented need to improve educational opportunities

for girls, as you read this Idea Book, you will need to think of the

appropriateness of the activities that follow. The choices you make

will be based on considerations related to your specific situation.

What are my communityís priorities? Does the idea correspond

with what community members want to do, or is it something

that just I want to do?

How does this idea fit with other activities being done in my

project? How does this idea complement other activities the

school and/or the community is doing?

How does it fit with what the Peace Corps is doing in this country? Is it in line with other project activities?

How do these ideas complement other project-related activities?

How do they complement activities in the school and community?

How do these activities contribute to capacity building at the

following levels:

ï Individual (students, parents, Ö.)

ï Professional (teachers, administrators, village leaders, Ö.)

ï Organizational (school, PTA, Ö.)

ï Community (Girls Education Committee, womenís groups,

religious leaders, ....)

1

2

3

4

5
In the Classroom:

4 Peace Corps

6 Have I taken into account school and community membersí available time to participate in these activities? Have I included

decision-makers as well as participants in the planning process?

What steps can I take to ensure that the activities and ideas are 7 sustainable?

What about Boys?

Poverty has an impact on access to education for both girls

and boys. Peace Corps activities and initiatives targeted to girls

are not designed to discriminate against boys, but rather to level

the playing field and provide often rare opportunities for girls.

Most posts engage in education activities that include both boys

and girls, while ensuring that girls have an equal chance to participate and succeed.

Studies have shown that girlsí education interventions have a

positive impact on boys as well as girls, that ìgirl-friendlyî

school environments are ìchild-friendly,î and in some instances

boys actually benefit more than girls from these interventions.
Empowering Girls

5

Parents, community leaders and both local and national organizations

can be instrumental in providing support and encouragement to girls

and advocating for girlsí access to education. When seeking resources

or support, always consider:

ï Parents and PTAs

ï Malams, Marabouts, Priests and other religious leaders

ï Womenís associations

ï Older students as tutors or mentors

ï Mayors or Chieftains

ï Professional women

ï Ministry or government officials

ï Other teachers, school staff

See appendix four on page 69 for a more thorough listing of potential

groups who can help improve access to and quality of girlsí education

at the local, regional and national levels.

Real changes occur

when girls are

allowed to learn,

and all people have

equal access to

at least a basic

education.

Quote from

World Bank website

ìEducation Issuesî
In the Classroom:

6 Peace Corps

A View from Samoa

Samoa has a population of about 170,000 people, with slightly

more males then females. Fifty percent of the population is

younger than 18 years of age. Education is compulsory up to

eight years of age. Throughout formal schooling up to age 13

the participation rates are about equal between males and

females. Participation rates begin to diverge greatly in vocational and tertiary education where proportionately more males

than females are enrolled.

There are several reasons for this change in academic participation, including:

ï pressure on girls to find jobs and produce income for

families

ï women marry at a younger age than men

ï young women are not encouraged to continue school

ï young women who become pregnant and give birth drop

out of school to care for their child and rarely return

These issues are highlighted in the national youth policy Peace

Corps Volunteers and staff have been involved with over the

past year. In response to these issues, Peace Corps Samoa has

participated in a team of youth organizations working with youth

to formulate policies that address the needs of young people.

Education and gender equity are two of the eight areas of focus

for the national youth policy.
Empowering Girls

7

A Holistic Approach

to Girlsí Education:

The Cumulative Effect of Small Activities

Empowerment of girls is rarely the result of a one-time intervention

to build confidence and leadership skills. Volunteers in school settings have the opportunity to empower girls through the cumulative

effect of small activities. This attention to girlsí education is in many

ways similar to education on formal topics such as mathematics or

reading. Many small lessons and practices result in achievement of

the goal.

The following example illustrates how Volunteers have seen girls grow

in self-esteem as the result of activities that provide concrete as well

as emotional support to girlsí education.

Girlsí Education is an

Overarching Theme in Tanzania

One married couple of Volunteers teaches physics and chemistry at

Mbekenyera Secondary School in the Lindi District of Tanzania. One

is the only female teacher in the school and she has been involved in

girlsí education activities.

In the classroom, she has a very engaging style. She encourages and

supports all of her students to actively participate. (See section on

Creating a Girl Friendly Environment for ideas.) Everyone in the class

has opportunities to succeed and this success is reinforced with positive comments. Her students recognize the progress they are making

in chemistry.
In the Classroom:

8 Peace Corps

Outside of the classroom she has been involved in a number of activities that involve girls. Through a Small Projects Assistance (SPA) grant,

she helped to manage the renovation of an old classroom into a girlsí

hostel. Female students now have a safe and healthy environment in

which to live and work. In order to assist in the payment of school

fees, a group of girls has formed a baking club. Each evening they

bake cakes to sell to students and teachers during the next dayís break.

In addition to raising money, they are also learning basic business

management skills.

The bulletin board outside the staff room is the place where articles

on gender issues are placed and read by all of the students. Often

these articles are the focus of the morning debate. The male Volunteer

of this couple has been very active in encouraging girls to assume

leadership roles in the collection and analysis of data.

Mbekenyera is a small school of 120 students, and six teachers.

Through the daily work at the school, both Volunteers have had a

lasting impact on the lives of the girls of Mbekenyera and have sent

an important message to the students, teachers, and community.
Empowering Girls

9

Creating a Girl-Friendly

Learning Environment

Whether the activities take place at the school, or in a separate retreat

or workshop setting, girlsí education can be enriched by supportive

efforts of Volunteers. Just allowing students the time to discuss the

issues and needs of women in their society can make a tremendous

difference in the empowerment of young women and the sensitivity

of boys to womenís issues. These discussions can result in plans for

addressing issues on the local level.

This chapter features information for teachers on establishing study

groups, peer tutoring programs, and an example of how to use a Small

Project Assistance Grant to help girls to stay in school.

Small Changes in Behavior Signal

a Big Difference for Some Girls

(Based on the work of Volunteers in Burkina Faso)

It is important to appreciate the small changes in girlsí attitudes

that illustrate steps towards increased confidence and accomplishment in the classroom and beyond. This may include a girl:

ï raising her hand in class.

ï speaking without covering her mouth.

ï speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

ï assuming the responsibilities of a prefect, or class leader.

Encouraging these behaviors builds self-confidence in girls

without offending their male classmates and should not be taken

for granted.
In the Classroom:

10 Peace Corps

Guiding Girls Through School

A Volunteer reported that daily she has had the opportunity to watch

women developing in three high schools in Belize.

ìI see girls transforming into women before my eyes. As a

counselor, teacher, and link to community resources, I am

continually amazed at the challenges that these students overcome. Every day these students move closer to womanhood,

and important decisions lurk around every corner. Girls ask

themselves: What educational track should I take? Should I

have sex with my boyfriend? Where will I get money for books

and food? What does it mean to me as a woman when I see

my father hit my mother? What can I do about my alcohol

use? How will I ever reach my goals? These are only a few of

the questions raised in my office as young women seek answers, guidance, and the skills to make sound decisions. In

this day and age, there is no doubt there are increasingly more

distractions and struggles while progressing into adulthood.î

While counseling need not be formal, a formal counseling program is

a valuable resource for youth as they search for guidance, encouragement and support. In Belize, one high school started a counseling program two years ago that has been used by many students to pass moments of difficulty. Counterparts in various schools are working as

counselors and have received training through the Peace Corps and

other relevant training programs. At other high schools, guidance departments are currently being established.

One Volunteer expressed her sense of the results of these efforts.

ìI have the privilege to work with students every day. I see

the appreciation of many students merely to have someone to

talk to who is non-judgmental, cares, and listens. I see the joy

after a student passed a hard studied exam even though she
Empowering Girls

11

had at least twenty reasons

not to care. I also experience

those disappointments of the

children who fall into the

cracks, dropout, get pregnant, or give up. As my Belizean counterparts within

each school develop their

own school guidance programs, they begin to have an

unforgettable impact on the

students. The students will

not forget it. Neither will I.î

Tips for Teachers, Staff and Administrators

on Ways to Encourage Girls

ï Encourage girls to assume positions of responsibility such as mentors, peer advisors, prefects, or student government representatives.

ï Work carefully with girls in positions of responsibility to assist

them in becoming positive role models.

ï Be sure that both female and male students share the cleaning and

maintenance duties in school and that all jobs are rotated regularly.

ï Consider responsibilities that girls may have at home when devising the school schedule and the term calendar.

ï Be aware of personal problems that your students may be having.

Find out what you can do to assist girls with their special needs.

ï Encourage participation in extracurricular activities. Sports and

clubs provide opportunities to build relationships and develop selfesteem. Show an equal degree of support to girlsí athletics. (See

Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls, ICE M0080, pages

49-53, for ideas on girlsí sports.)
In the Classroom:

12 Peace Corps

ï Encourage the school to be used as a resource for out-of-school

girls.

1) In Mali, a ìSecond Chance Schoolî is held during summer

recess and allows girls who were held out of school for one or

more years to acquire the educational background to resume

classes in the next school year.

2) Ghanaís ìSchool for Lifeî program promotes education in the

local language at night for children who work on their familiesí farms during the day.

ï Visit female students and their families at home. Talk to families

about their daughtersí potential and ways that they can support

and encourage them.

ï Support female teachers in modeling competence, leadership, respect, and self-esteem.

ï Identify areas where gender bias is occurring and initiate discussions with staff members and students.

ï Work with the staff to develop a school development workshop on

ìEncouraging Excellence.î SPA grant funds can be used for this

workshop.
Empowering Girls

13

Participatory Approaches and

Assessment Result in Support for Girls

Following a Peace Corps Women in Development Conference in The

Gambia, a Volunteer and her counterpart formulated a questionnaire

and distributed it to female students at the junior and senior schools in

their village. The girls were given an hour to complete the survey,

which consisted of approximately 45 questions focused on the challenges of girls in schools, their responsibilities at home, their favorite

classes, and the level of education they hope to achieve. The survey

was used to determine the needs and interests of female students in

the schools and community. The girls knew that the survey would

result in identifying ways to address their needs and interests. The

responses were used to help start support groups for girls in the schools.

Tutoring Efforts Succeed When

Students Help One Another

Study groups and peer tutoring programs have been very effective not

only in increasing girlsí level of achievement but also in promoting

self-confidence and leadership abilities. The following recommendations come from the experience of Volunteers in several countries.

Tips for Teachers on Forming

Girl-Supported Study Groups

ï Identify a room where girls can come after school and work in a

safe, quiet environment.

ï Establish a bulletin board in the room to display articles on topics

of interest to the girls along with samples of the studentsí work.

ï Arrange the desks to provide opportunities for peer interaction.
In the Classroom:

14 Peace Corps

ï Establish partners between students of the same class who can ask

each other questions and work on assignments together. Partner

assignments should last for an established period of time and then

be changed to allow different girls to work together. Pairs can also

include an older student with a younger one who needs individual

tutoring, or the combination of a student who is doing well in a

particular area with one who is falling behind.

ï Provide encouragement and guidance on the type of activities in

which the students engage.

ï Maintain an environment conducive to learning and peer support.

Improving Education by

Increasing Access and Quality

In many countries around the world, girls hold responsibilities that

can hinder their ability to attend school. The excerpts below illustrate

several instances where Volunteers have identified barriers and have

provided reasonable alternatives or solutions that increase girlsí access to education.
Empowering Girls

15

In Togo, a Volunteer and her counterpart used participatory approaches

to address the low girlsí school attendance in the community. It was

determined that girls do not attend school because when their mothers

go to the field, they need their daughters to watch the small children.

Based on this, the community established a childcare center to free

girls to attend school. One community member was trained by a Volunteer and her counterpart to run the center. As a result, girlsí school

enrollment in the village increased.

In rural areas of many countries, students advancing from primary to

secondary school must travel to regional capitals or larger towns to

attend. This is a critical point where

fewer girls than boys advance. Family decisions must be made regarding the expense of providing housing and supervision if relatives do not

live near the school. A Volunteer and

Counterpart used funds from the

Small Project Assistance Program

(SPA) to address this issue and contribute to girlsí education through the

Ndwika Girls Secondary School

Dormitory projects in Tanzania.

With community contributions, they

supported the renovation of existing

dormitories that were unused and in

disrepair in Ndwika, and the purchase of bunk beds and lockers to

reduce overcrowding in the single

Lwandai dormitory. This allows more

girls to attend school, reassuring parents of their safety, and potentially

increasing academic performance as

overcrowding is eliminated.

In

Burkina

FasoÖ

Community mobilization and development

efforts have helped to

achieve a 50:50

enrollment ratio

between girls and

boys in schools in

one area of the

country. One such

effort is BISONGO,

a childcare center

located next to the

school, where girls

drop off their

younger siblings

making it possible 

for the girls to attend

school.
In the Classroom:

16 Peace Corps

Classroom and CurriculumRelated Activities for a

Girl-Friendly Learning

Environment

In this chapter you will read about a variety of curricular approaches

for engaging girls, including a lesson plan that explores gender differences. As educators, there are many ways in which you can promote a

girl-friendly learning environment and take action by preparing lessons

and activities that encourage girls. As was done in Kenya, you can

evaluate the curriculum with an eye to gender specific stereotyping,

develop lesson plans with female education themes, organize extra

study groups for primary and secondary girls, urge administrations to

recognize female achievement, and research the reasons that girls leave

school early. Ultimately, the girl-friendly learning environment that

you create will be student-friendly regardless of gender roles.

Tips for Preparing Lessons and Activities

to Engage Girls

ï Students are best engaged when the material is relevant to their

lives. In developing lessons, plan activities and investigations in

contexts of real interest and relevance to girls and women using

data on topics such as agriculture, health, environmental issues or

geography. [See Community-Content Based Instruction (CCBI),

ICE Publication No. T0112.]

ï Incorporate situations and examples into lesson plans that use girls

and women as successful models. When a lesson plan calls for

medical vocabulary, for example, reference a female doctor or vet-
Empowering Girls

17

erinarian. Make these examples a natural part of your presentation: donít overemphasize the use of female examples.

ï Be aware of gender bias in school texts and address it. For example, in one primary school text, the majority of pictures depict

women cooking, cleaning, shopping, fetching water and milking

cows. In 53 texts examined, women appeared dressed traditionally

40 times, but in work clothes only four times.

ï When preparing lessons, plan how and when to insert encouraging

messages to girls. Highlight the achievements of women, especially in math and science. Highlight the achievements of your

female students.

ï Model encouraging girlsí participation in class, especially in nontraditional subjects like math and science.

ï Utilize field trips that not only complement curriculum material

but also emphasize the roles and contributions of women.

ï Invite women from the community to your class as guest speakers

or presenters.

ï Incorporate community projects into your class activities in conjunction with ongoing projects and development activities with

women in the community. (See CCBI Manual.)

ï Remember to use a variety of approaches in your classes that encourage participation, recognize different learning styles and challenge students to expand their own learning styles. This may be

done simply by varying techniques, such as using discussion, games,

reading assignments, role play, and use of visual aids as well as

lectures.
In the Classroom:

18 Peace Corps

Ways to Promote a Girl-Friendly

Classroom Environment

ï Be sure to call on girls at least as often as you call on boys. Occasionally check yourself by recording the number of male and female

students that you call on in a class period.

ï Provide opportunities for girls to present and to work at the blackboard. For very shy students, it may be helpful for them to begin

by coming to the board and presenting as part of a team.

ï Foster a classroom environment that encourages taking risks. Send

a message that it is okay not to know the correct answer.

ï Cooperative learning and group work are excellent ways to encourage girlsí participation and leadership. Form groups to encourage this. Provide opportunities for girls to work in their own groups,

or to have equal numbers of girls and boys in the group. Begin

with short team building exercises. Offer rewards and positive

reinforcement to acknowledge the groupís success.

ï Some schools are experimenting with same-sex classes, especially

in math and the sciences. A Volunteer in Tanzania encouraged the

school director to try this approach with Grade 9 students and initial observations indicate success in both girlsí and boysí levels of

achievement.

ï Consider offering extra tutoring sessions just for girls. Provide

opportunities in these sessions for discussions and question and

answer interchange.

ï Use a variety of assessment tools, such as oral questions, written

tests, and group projects. Give all students (especially girls) an

opportunity to share what they know, not what they donít know.
Empowering Girls

19

Curriculum Designed to Engage Girls

This section provides an example of ways in which Volunteers have

approached curricular issues in order to engage girls. In addition, there

is an excellent example of a mathematics class that explores gender

differences while reinforcing important math skills, ìModel Lesson:

Math ñ Gender Differences in Daily Life.î This can be found in

Appendix one, on page 55.

Using Political Science and

Womenís Studies to Teach English

The best way to teach a language is to find a challenging topic and

discuss it using the target language. Having degrees in political science and womenís studies, one Volunteer was especially interested in

the issues facing women in Uzbekistan, but had not found a forum for

frank discussion. The Volunteer hoped to provide a space for these

talks at the Amir Temur English Summer Camp, where 300 students

and fifty teachers from across Uzbekistan participated with thirty Peace

Corps Volunteers.

The title of the class was ìWomenís and Girlsí

Issues in Uzbekistan,î and it was structured

to encourage the students to talk as much as

possible. The goal of each small group discussion was to challenge the young women

and men to think about the forces changing

Uzbekistan: for instance, independence from

the Soviet Union, growth of Islam, development of a market economy, and democratic

rhetoric. Then they were asked to consider

how these changes might affect their own

lives and those of their mothers, sisters, and

future wives. (Separate, similar discussions

were offered for the local teachers.)
In the Classroom:

20 Peace Corps

The class began with a discussion of work, both inside and outside the

home. The students quickly realized the differences in the responsibilities of their mothers and fathers, and were asked to give reasons

why these differences exist. Next, they talked about the societal changes

witnessed by the students since independence. From this general discussion, they moved to the more specific changes in womenís lives.

Subsequently, they read an article from the June 3, 1995, Los Angeles

Times entitled ìTaking an Eager Step Back to Islam.î The article argues that Uzbekistanís new Islamic traditionalism may have negative

effects for womenís independence and self-determination. The students compared the journalistís observations to their own. Finally, students were asked how the conversation might influence their futures

as women and men.

While learning new vocabulary, the students struggled to think critically about the future of the country they will inherit. Jamshed suggested that women should speak openly together about their problems

and difficulties. Alisher said he would talk with his future wife and

share the work of the house. Umeda declared she would go home and

talk with her father about the class to ensure that she would not be

forced to marry a man she did not love.

The students are the experts on their lives and their country. The Volunteer was often surprised by their revelations, insightful comments,

hopes, and fears. It was the Volunteerís hope that the discussions were

only the beginning of the studentsí thinking about the future of women

in Uzbekistan.
Empowering Girls

21

ìTouring Math Campî in Guinea

In Guinea a Math Volunteer became aware that many children in his

village, particularly girls, were unable to satisfy the prerequisites of

the national math curriculum, often failing this subject and subsequently

dropping out of school. He noted that many students had developed a

learning block or fear of math as its presentation was based largely on

abstract theory. To address this situation and to garner enthusiasm for

the subject of math, he established a ìTouring Math Camp.î The Volunteer and his students would take trips in his region complete with

daily math games, real world applications of math concepts, and competitions resulting in prizes for all participants. He included other math

teachers from the region to expose them to new approaches to math

instruction and to underscore the fact that girls are as capable in math

skills as boys.
In the Classroom:

22 Peace Corps

Co-Curricular Activities

that Engage Girls

It can be challenging for students to practice out in the ìreal worldî

lessons they have learned in the classroom. There are also areas of

personal development like leadership and confidence that are difficult

to address in school when specific academic subjects are also being

learned. Co-curricular activities enable girls and boys to take classroom knowledge into their community to experience a concept firsthand, like forming a model business or writing a newsletter; or they

may be complementary activities like life skills workshops that encourage more interaction and development of healthy lifestyles. They

may be clubs in math, science or other academic subjects that make

learning fun, informal and more self-directed. Basically, the possibilities are only limited by the scope of your imagination as a teacher and

Volunteer. In this chapter, you will find a number of ways Volunteers

have encouraged ìreal worldî practice.

Moldovan Girls Achieve as Entrepreneurs

Eighteen young women started and operated their own successful company as part of their economics class in a secondary school in Chisinau,

Republic of Moldova. The girls designed and sold clothing for teens,

incorporating traditional Moldovan embroidery motifs. The class made

enough profit to purchase curtains for their school, and fund a trip to

participate in the European Junior Achievement annual Student Companies Fair in Poland. More importantly, they learned that it is possible

for Moldovan women to own and operate their own companies. Their

Junior Achievement Student Company took first place in the European

competition. A Peace Corps business Volunteer served as the business

consultant for the girlsí class. A student company from Estonia where
Empowering Girls

23

another Volunteer was the business consultant took fourth place in the

competition.

Junior Achievement and Peace Corps Volunteers have been working

together to prepare young people to participate in market economies

in: Antigua, Armenia, Belize, Bulgaria, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania,

Macedonia, Moldova, Nigeria, Panama, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,

Tonga, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.

In 1966 the Peace Corps and Junior Achievement International entered

into a Memorandum of Understanding that states, ìThrough cooperation and planning, programming, training, management assistance and

other areas, Junior Achievement International and the Peace Corps

will work together to help interested countries to develop sustainable

economic education programs.î
In the Classroom:

24 Peace Corps

Joint activities include, but are not limited to:

Developing training modules for use by Volunteers toward providing practical economic education.

Planning and implementing training workshops in entrepreneurial

development strategies involving Volunteers in interested countries.

Providing educational materials to Volunteers involved in business development either as a primary or secondary assignment.

Developing joint programming where Junior Achievement International and Peace Corps project sectors share mutual objectives and address host country government priorities.

Participating in such other Junior Achievement International or

Peace Corps related activities as the organizations may agree

upon.

Additional possibilities for cooperative efforts may exist in the following areas where both the Peace Corps and Junior Achievement

have operations: China, Ghana, Granada, Honduras, Jamaica, Jordan,

Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Western Samoa, Zambia, and the countries of Francophone Africa.

Volunteers interested in utilizing Junior Achievement materials at their

sites should contact: Sam Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, sam@jaintl.com

Junior Achievement International, 2780 Janitell Road, Colorado

Springs, CO 80906. Telephone: 719-540-0200 Fax: 719-540-8770 to

obtain information on in-country Junior Achievement offices if Peace

Corps programming staff do not have that information.

1

2

3

4

5
Empowering Girls

25

Panamanian Girls Focus on Self-Esteem

A Volunteer in Panama provided a creativity and writing workshop

for young girls with low self-esteem. The girls wrote short stories and

poetry, and designed arts and crafts in a controlled group setting that

encouraged self-expression and the acceptance of ideas.

Two sixteen-year-old girls were also trained by the Volunteer to give

self-esteem talks. The two young women have given six self-esteem

talks to varying audiences including a womenís group, teenage boys

and girls, and elementary school children.

AÔcha Magazine is Published in Guinea

Peace Corps Guinea published the

third edition of AÔcha in May 1999.

AÔcha magazine is an open forum for

girls to express their ideas and to read

what others have to say about

womenís issues. Guinean girls write

almost all the articles. All Volunteers

are strongly encouraged to distribute

and discuss AÔcha with female students and other literate women in

their towns. Volunteers are also asked

to encourage people to write for the

magazine. This provides an opportunity for girls to strengthen their

reading and writing skills and for

Volunteers to mentor and support

their female students.

Article topics include women and society, girlsí education, womenís

health, early marriage, teen pregnancy, STDs/AIDS and Female Genital
In the Classroom:

26 Peace Corps

Mutilation (FMG) among others. Every issue also has a specific area

of expanded interest. The May 1999 edition focused on ìAdmirable

Peopleî; an upcoming edition will focus on FGM. The magazine also

includes an interview with a successful Guinean woman, an English

article/lesson, and games or contests (supplied in the last issue by two

of the advertisers).

In the latest edition, Peace Corps Guinea allowed boys to submit articles

as long as the articles met the criteria of being related to female gender

issues. Allowing boys to write articles proved to be a great success.

AÔcha has proven to be an effective means of discussing gender with

adolescents. Many Volunteers have set up informal AÔcha discussion

groups. All those who submit articles are rewarded by name mention

on the last page and a copy of the following edition. The magazineís

popularity has outgrown its print volume of 2,500 copies. Using the

same estimates that Guinean newspapers use to determine readership

(about 15 people per copy), Peace Corps Guinea estimates that perhaps as many as 40,000 Guinean adolescents read the last edition.

Funding of the first two editions came primarily from the Guinean

Ministry of Health. The third edition, however, could not rely on Ministry funding and determined that other sources were needed for longterm sustainability of the publication. Over a period of nine months,

advertising was sold to commercial interests in order to fund approximately 70% of the costs of this edition. The two editions planned for

fiscal year 2000 received approximately 75% of their funding from

advertising. Plans for future years involve printing three editions per

year, each of similar size and print volume to the current edition.
Empowering Girls

27

Malawi Girls Retreat

Two Volunteers in Malawi organized a Girlsí Retreat for Form Four

(approximately 10th grade) girls from Mpherembe Distance Education Center, where one of the Volunteers is a teacher. They scheduled

a Saturday morning meeting with the girls at a site away from the

school so that they would not feel as though they were still in class,

and also to create a more comfortable and open environment.

This was an optional activity, and about twenty girls participated.

Volunteers facilitated the retreat, leading discussions on topics such

as relationships (family, friends, romantic), peer pressure, leadership,

and communication skills. The girls chose the topics and the sessions

included lots of interactive activities. The entire event took three hours.

One of the Volunteers wrote, ìThe girls were excited about the idea of

having a special day just for them. Afterwards, they all expressed

how much they enjoyed the sessions, and they had a great desire to

have another retreat. They were disappointed when we were unable to

repeat the event during the next term.î

The Volunteers plan to continue with the retreats next

school year, and hope to hold

one for each grade. Other

topics they have considered

are: preparing for job interviews, public speaking, and

sexual health. They encourage others to try similar programs in their areas. The retreats are easy to plan and

very valuable to the participants.
In the Classroom:

28 Peace Corps

Odyssey of the Mind

Develops Creative and Critical Thinking

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international organization, established in 1978, that provides creative problem solving activities and

competitions for students of all ages. Through the OM program, students from kindergarten through university in countries around the

globe, are encouraged to use and exercise their own capacities for

creativity and imagination in solving real problems. Four Volunteers

brought the OM program to Slovakia in 1999.

In April and May of 1999, teams of Slovak students participated in

OM competitions in Poland, Lithuania, and even in the World Finals

competition in Knoxville, Tennessee. In each competition, Slovak

teams comprised of a balance of male and female students, won awards

and advanced to higher levels of competition. They were able to

exchange information and network with students from around the

globe.

A follow up visit with the students was made to Seattle, Washington,

where the Volunteers who originated the project were able to arrange
Empowering Girls

29

housing for the students with friends and associates, and to set up

meetings for them with 12 companies. This was funded in part by a

grant from the European Business Development Program, an anonymous local donor, and through active fundraising by Volunteers and

participants. These visits concentrated on customer service, distribution, production methods, and focused retailing, and provided the

students with the opportunity to see firsthand the implementation of

creative thinking in real business situations.

After spending a significant amount of time directing the program in

its first year, during the second year Volunteers, counterparts and

interested participants succeeded in establishing and developing a

Slovak OM NGO with strong Slovak leadership. During this second

year, they produced two more activity books, two new brochures, a

10-minute promotional video, two newsletters, and established a bilingual website. The numbers of youth involved almost doubled in

comparison with the previous year. During the Slovak OM Festival

about 20 teams competed from all across Slovakia with over 50 local

volunteers helping with organization of the festival. Five teams participated in the European Festival, and two university teams were able

to raise the funds necessary to participate in the World Finals and won

a first place there!

The role of Volunteers involved in the organization has been reduced

from organizers and directors to that of coaches or advisors. Many

Peace Corps Slovakia Volunteers working with youth in their primary

or secondary projects in education, environment and small business

development, have incorporated OM ideas and strategies in their own

projects, even if they have not established OM groups. This has been

done in school classrooms, community youth groups, and environmental groups.

For more information on Odyssey of the Mind, visit the organizationís

website at www.odysseyofthemind.com.
In the Classroom:

30 Peace Corps

Awards and Incentives

Award programs are positive ways to support girlsí academic performance and publicize their achievements in the community. This section outlines some programs that have highlighted girlsí academic

accomplishments and shows ways to continue to encourage girls to

excel in school.

Awards for Girls in Burkina Faso

An Education Volunteer interviewed many people including male and

female students, counterparts, and community members about the relevance of creating an award honoring outstanding female students at

the end of the school year. When he first talked about the idea with

teachers, some did not like it at all. To foster a change in their attitude,

he decided to interview 250 people in his village. After the interviews,

90 percent of the people agreed that the best girl in each class should

be entitled to a prize. He then took the findings back to the school, and

this is how one girl from each class received a prize for the first time.

Student of the Month

A Guinea TEFL Volunteer established a ìStudent of the Monthî award

in all of her classes based on attendance, participation, and grades,

with emphasis on the first two. The prizes were used English books

donated by the school. This award allowed female students and male

students to be recognized for behaviors such as assertiveness and selfdiscipline, which may not always be reflected in their grades.
Empowering Girls

31

District in Mali Creates Certificate Program

At the end of the last school year one district awarded certificates of

merit to the girl in each grade with the highest average for the year.

These certificates were created on the computer of a local non-governmental organization and copied (making it a low-budget way to

emphasize the importance of education and encourage girls to excel).

The awarding of certificates involved the girlsí families, who keep

such important papers for years, and perhaps may motivate them to

praise their daughters and help them study. Community associations

participated in the simple ceremony, and will contribute prizes to future

yearsí award programs. Volunteers are working on expanding the

awards to include all girls who attain above a certain average to encourage more participation. The class with the most winners will have

a party given for them.

NOTE: Volunteers who anticipate objections from the host culture to

ìfavoringî girls unfairly, are advised to give awards to both girls and

boys to show the equality of their achievements.
In the Classroom:

32 Peace Corps

Science and Math Competitions

in The Gambia

Tahir Ahmadiyya Muslim School and Pakalinding Middle School celebrated International Womanís Day with an academic competition.

Three girls from each grade at school took a written mathematics

examination and three girls from each grade also competed in a science

competition.

The written math exam consisted of 20 multiple-choice questions. The

students in each grade competed amongst themselves. The questions

were drawn from topics that had been taught during the first two terms.

Ten questions on each test were written by the subject teacher at Tahir

and ten questions by the subject teacher at Pakalinding.

The science competition was a science fair. Once again, the students

of each grade competed amongst themselves. In this case, each girl

did an experiment. Experiments included: how to make soap, how to

make candles, preparing slides using a microscope, and illustrations

of different forms of energy. After completing their experiments, the

girls wrote lab reports. On the day of the science fair the girls set up

their experiments and answered questions posed by the judges. The

girls were marked on effort, understanding, and the final result.

This celebration did not only consist of academics. We also wanted to

recognize those girls who are athletically inclined so there was also a

soccer match between the girlsí teams from each school.

After all the results had been tabulated there was an awards ceremony.

The top two girls in each subject in each grade received prizes. Also,

the most valuable player on each soccer team received a prize.
Empowering Girls

33

Bulgarian Essay Contest Brings Womenís

Issues into Global Perspective

A nationwide initiative was implemented by a group of Volunteers

representing different sectors of Peace Corps activity in collaboration

with the Bulgarian Association of University Women, the American

University in Bulgaria, and endorsed by the Bulgarian Ministry of

Education. It is an annual Womenís Issues Essay Writing Contest that

has now been carried out for four years. The contest involves students

from high schools and universities who gather on a negotiated date

and time to write an essay about one of several pre-announced topics.

Topics have included Women as Role Models, Women and the Family,

Women and Violence, Women and Girls in Education, Women and

Pornography, Women and the Media, and Women and Democracy.

The purpose of the contest is to inspire youth to think about gender

roles in post-Communist Bulgaria and the need for positive change

regarding the socially, economically, and politically valuable work

performed by women in Bulgaria and around the world. Youth also

consider the injustices women face despite the valuable contributions

they make. Students begin to see themselves as an integral part of a

world cause. The Essay Contest has opened the minds of numerous

young women in Bulgaria and challenged them to become active citizens. Because students receive the essay topics in advance of the actual

contest, they have the opportunity not only to think about the topics,

but also to discuss them with family members, friends, teachers, and

other community members. In this way, the contest has created a dialogue among peers, across generations and outside of the classroom.

These conversations about problems facing women in Bulgaria in turn

stimulate discussion about wider social, economic and political issues

that affect all Bulgarians. Since the contestís inception in 1996, the

number of participants has grown from 700 to 1600 representing 90

educational institutions around the country. Clearly, this project has

the momentum to touch many more young people in Bulgaria.
In the Classroom:

34 Peace Corps

Chinese Women Recognize

Womenís Achievements

In celebration of International Womenís Day on March 8, Volunteers

organized a Womenís Essay Contest for all students of the Foreign

Languages Department of Daxian Teachers College in Dachuan,

Sichuan. The contest was modeled after one held in the Czech Republic in 1997. The topic was to describe a woman you admire and respect

and tell how she has influenced your life.

The contest was intended to raise awareness of womenís achievements.

Thirty-two students submitted essays written in English for the contest. Based on the essayís content and English writing skills, one essay

from each of the three grades and three overall winners were selected.

Many essays described the lives of Chinese women including heroines in history, athletes, and mothers. Whether famous or not, the

women they wrote about had a strong and positive impact on the

students.
Empowering Girls

35

Sensitizations on Womenís Issues

and Speech Writing Contest

OBJECTIVE

To discuss the problems girls face in continuing their education and to give students an opportunity to present speeches

on this topic to their peers.

ACTIVITY

Present a lesson on topics relating to girlsí education or health

such as:

ï The importance of staying in school

ï Obstacles girls face in continuing their education and the

solutions

ï Reproductive health and the risks of early pregnancy

ï Sexual harassment

Ask the students (girls and boys) to write speeches on one of

the topics. Have a panel of judges listen to the speeches and

choose the best. Winners can read their speeches at an assembly or awards ceremony.

SUGGESTION

Students at neighboring schools can compete against each

other.
In the Classroom:

36 Peace Corps

Scholarships

One way many Peace Corps Volunteers have helped to encourage and

increase opportunities for girlsí education is through the creation of a

girlsí scholarship program. Scholarship programs can be effective tools

to encourage the education of girls and increase retention. Not only

do they help relieve the familiesí financial burden to educate their

children, but they also can serve to heighten awareness of the value of

educating girls and the contributions girls can make to their communities. More than 20 Peace Corps posts worldwide have scholarship

programs as part of their activities to improve girlsí education.

Starting a Girlsí Scholarship Program

The key point to remember when starting a scholarship program is

that the programís survival ó financial and administrative ó should

not become dependent on the Peace Corps. The goals should be not

only to encourage girlsí education, but also to help build the capacity

of local entities to become active participants in and advocates for

girlsí education.

Before creating a scholarship program, it is important to plan strategically for the long-term administration and sustainability of the program. This process involves significant planning and the inclusion of

host country nationals and local organizations. Think of girlsí scholarship programs as you would any other development project. Although Volunteers may be instrumental in starting the scholarship program, the ultimate goal should be for the program to be administered

by a host-country organization or committee.
Empowering Girls

37

Step 1:

Forming the Scholarship Program Committee

Creating the committee that will plan and implement the scholarship

program is the most important step. Your ultimate goal should be to

put together a committee that includes host country representation as

much as possible. Ideally, a Women in Development/Gender and Development (WID/GAD) committee would partner with an in-country

NGO to create and manage the program, with the goal that the partner

organization would eventually manage the program on its own.

In many cases, finding a partner organization from the beginning may

not be possible. Some scholarship programs begin with the WID/GAD

committee taking the lead. In such cases, it is still important to include host country nationals and organizations wherever possible. Significant host country representation on the committee ensures several

things:

ï Sustainability

ï Inclusive selection process

ï Broader support of girlsí education

ï Increased potential for a permanent administrator

The support of the Peace Corps Country Director or a Program Manager/APCD is also important. Both can be invaluable resources in

advising the committee and helping to make connections with appropriate organizations or government offices. In addition, some Peace

Corps regulations affect what roles Volunteers can play in the administration of a scholarship program. The Country Director, Program

Manager and Administrative Officer can be helpful in identifying appropriate areas of involvement for Volunteers.
In the Classroom:

38 Peace Corps

There may be expatriates or foreign-based NGOís in the host country.

It may be appropriate to invite some of these individuals or organizations to be on the committee, depending on the skills, experience, and

resources they can bring to the group.

Some Peace Corps countries have been very successful in working

with an organization in-country that manages the scholarship program.

In these examples, Volunteersí roles are to identify candidates, with

minimal fundraising and management. Not only does this build

sustainability of the program, but it also builds on Peace Corps Volunteersí unique niche, which is identifying girls in remote areas with the

greatest need. Some examples are:

ï In Ghana, Volunteers are working with the Federation of African

Women Educators (FAWE) in coordinating the nomination and

selection of girls.

ï Volunteers in Zimbabwe raise funds and forward names of possible recipients for girlsí scholarships that are administered through

the American Womenís Club.

ï Volunteers in Belize work with the local NGO Youth Enhancement Services (YES), an alternative school for at-risk girls, to identify girls who are eligible to receive scholarships to continue school.

ï The funding for the scholarships in Ecuador comes through a partnership between the Kiwanis Club of Quito and small fundñraising activities by Volunteers and community members.

ï Volunteers in Nepal work with the American Women of Nepal

(AWON) to obtain scholarships for girls in their communities.
Empowering Girls

39

Step 2:

Building Support

Host country representatives should be involved at all levels, from the

recipientsí families to the local or national government.

Families

It is important to have the familyís support and investment in girlsí

education. A girlís family support helps to ensure that they value the

study and mentor time she will need to invest in her education. Most

committees also require the families to contribute a portion of the

funds to a girlís education.

Having members of the scholarship program committee meet with

recipientsí families can help secure this support. Volunteers in Burkina

Faso visit familiesí homes to request support from the girlsí parents in

organizing the workload in such a way that the girls can find time to

study. The visit may also renew the parentsí motivation to keep their

daughters in school.

Schools

Gaining the support of the principal,

teachers, and parentsí organizations

will help ensure support for the scholarship recipients and will help heighten awareness of girlsí education in

that school. Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and school committees

can also serve as valuable sources of

fundraising and mentoring. Volunteers

in Burkina Faso work with counterparts and PTAs to create awareness

of girlsí education and are involved

in Take Our Daughters to Work Day

activities.
In the Classroom:

40 Peace Corps

Local and national governments

Many scholarship program committees have signed formal agreements

with their host countriesí local and national governments. Securing

the support of the local and national governments will help achieve

several things:

ï Ensure the scholarship program is working within the education

plans of the host country

ï Add credibility to the program

ï Heighten awareness of girlsí education

As a result of Volunteersí work with girlsí education activities, the

Peace Corps office in Kenya has received an increase in the number

of requests for teachers and/or guidance on educational opportunities

for girls.
Empowering Girls

41

Step 3:

Planning the Scholarship Strategy

Once the key players are in place, the committee should think about

how it wants to administer the program. Questions to consider:

How will recipients be determined?

Who will be on the selection committee? (It is highly recommended that local school or education officials be involved, as

well as committee members.)

Will scholarships be awarded year-by-year, or will a scholarship

recipient be guaranteed a scholarship for the duration of her education?

What academic standards do the recipients need to maintain to

ensure their scholarships?

What investments do the recipients, their families, and other

groups involved need to make?

How will the scholarship be distributed to the recipients?

Who is in charge of the financial management of the individual

scholarship and the overall program?

How will funds be accounted for?

What type of reporting is

required from the recipients?

How will the success of the

 program be evaluated?

How will the program be

publicized?
In the Classroom:

42 Peace Corps

Step 4:

Funding

The scholarship committee should start by formulating a long-term

plan for funding. An ideal funding situation would include an endowment, the interest from which funds the scholarships. An alternate

strategy involves finding long-term funding sources in-country that

would continue to fund the program for a significant period of time. A

combination of these strategies may be possible. There may be restrictions on how much, if any, fundraising Volunteers can do on their own

in-country. It may be more appropriate for other committee members

to take the lead. In addition, there may be restrictions on Volunteers

administering funds. The postís Country Director, Program Manager

and Administrative Officer can help advise the committee on this issue.

One source to consider for initial funding is the Peace Corps Partnership Program. Partnership Program guidelines are available at post.

Step 5:

Long-term Plans:

Identifying the Permanent Administrator

The scholarship program committee should identify, as soon as possible, an in-country NGO that can manage the program. Look for an

organization that has a commitment to girlsí education. For example,

the WID/GAD committee in Panama drew up an agreement with Funda

Mujer to eventually transfer the scholarship program to that Panamanian NGO.

If no suitable organization exists, consider institutionalizing a committee of people from various organizations as the programís administrator. If the original scholarship program committee includes enough

host-country representation, the committee may be a good candidate

for a permanent administrator.
Empowering Girls

43

Once an organization or permanent committee has been identified, it

is important that the committee help to mentor this new administrator

and prepare them to take over the program. Make sure the new administrator has the technical, administrative, and financial management skills to handle the program.

Scholarships have proven effective in

improving girlsí education. Other

incentives and subsidies ó school

meals, free school uniforms, and

labor-saving technologies ó have

generally failed. Childcare facilities

and preschools, which relieve girls

of sibling care, are promising but

under documented. Community and

parental education through

information campaigns and

community participation have

yielded positive results.

Educating Girls: Strategies to Increase Access,

Persistence and Achievement,

Advancing Basic Education and Literacy Project,

U.S. Agency for International Development,

Office of Education,

Office of Women in Development,

Washington, DC,

December 1991
In the Classroom:

44 Peace Corps

Panamanian Girls Strive to

Succeed in Their Studies

Many years ago the WID/GAD committee in Panama recognized that

one of the best ways the Peace Corps could work towards the development of women and address gender issues would be to strengthen

the role of girls and women in their communities. As women become

better educated, they become stronger. With an increase in confidence

and education, women play a greater role in their communities by

becoming role models for all. Therefore, the WID/GAD committee

has been working to increase girlsí self-esteem and education through

talks, seminars and new scholarships for young women.

The WID/GAD committee in Panama has been raising money for

scholarships for young women since 1997. In January of 1999, the

committee awarded a total of $1000 in scholarships to seven girls

from the province of Bocas del Toro. These scholarships provide financial assistance that allows the recipients to continue their education into secondary school.
Empowering Girls

45

The Volunteers designed a questionnaire asking about the girlsí familiesí income, the girlsí interest in continuing their studies, and their

grades. The girls also had to provide recommendations from community members (other than their families), and participate in a final

personal interview.

During the interviews, the girls emphasized the need for educated indigenous women to serve their community ó professional women

such as doctors, teachers, and businesspeople who would understand

the language and culture as well as provide positive role models to all

children, especially other young women.

The indigenous culture rarely allows or acknowledges the importance

of education for girls. Many of the older women in Panama have never

been educated and most cannot even speak Spanish, which is the common language. The seven young women receiving the scholarships

are aware of the opportunities and tools education can give to them,

and their communities.

The scholarship provides the girls with school uniforms, books and

other school supplies, all matriculation fees, and housing fees. The

girls must maintain good grades, and must reapply if they want a scholarship for the following year.
In the Classroom:

46 Peace Corps

Additional Tips and Timeframe for

Establishing a Scholarship Program

Qualifications

ï Establish qualifications for the scholarship through joint decisionmaking with your key NGO partner.

ï Applicants may provide such items as:

1. Birth certificate

2. Year-end report card (proving that the student has earned the

qualifying level of academic achievement)

3. Certificate that the student is not pregnant (if appropriate)

4. Two teacher recommendations addressing such information

as: how long the recommender has worked with the student;

the studentís strengths and weaknesses; how the student conducts herself in class; what the recommender considers the

studentís potential to be.

5. An essay explaining the applicantís goals may include questions such as: Why do you want to get an education? What

do you hope to do in the future?

6. An objective statement of financial need. (This can be prepared either by the Peace Corps Volunteer or another objective party ó perhaps an NGO representative.)

ï Depending on the nature of the scholarship, you may wish to include

an interview component.
Empowering Girls

47

Applications

ï Establish the deadline for application.

ï Design the application packet with the help of a host country

national to check the appropriateness of the questions, the clarity

of the instructions, and the correctness of the language and grammar.

ï Obtain a school mailing list from the Ministry of Education. This

will be your distribution list for the application packet.

ï Design a flyer or poster that can be used in each school to promote

the scholarship.

ï Prepare the application packets for each school. These should

include:

1. The poster or flyer to advertise the scholarship

2. A letter to the principal explaining the goal and the requirements of the scholarship, and asking the principal and teachers

to help identify candidates

3. The application form including teacher recommendation

forms

ï If feasible, you may wish to

arrange a meeting or series of

meetings with applicants to

ensure that they understand

the application materials and

know which parts they are

to complete, by when, and

which parts are to be completed by others.

ï Establish an interview schedule if required.
In the Classroom:

48 Peace Corps

Decision Process

ï Form a selection committee.

ï It is recommended that each application be read by at least three

committee members.

ï Each reader must ensure that all qualifications have been met and

then, considering the quality of grades, recommendations and essay, rate the application on a scale of 1 to 10.

ï The applicantsí scores from each reader are then averaged and the

applications ranked in order of the composite mark received.

ï The committee may choose to establish a rating scale for each part

of the application, and determine how much weight will be given

to each section. For example, will grades receive more weight than

teacher recommendations?

ï Conduct interviews if required.

ï Select recipients.

Notification Process

ï Create an award packet with certificates, as well as refusal letters.

ï Determine the method of distribution of awards. Some things to

consider are:

1. How long will delivery take?

2. How reliable will the transfer of funds be?

3. Can you get the news of selection to the girls in advance of

the funds so the girls can plan to apply the funds to tuition

and other school fees?

4. If you were to conduct an awards ceremony, how complex

would it be to undertake, and how expensive?
Empowering Girls

49

5. Can you make presentation of the awards directly to the

student and her parents at the principalís office?

ï Notify winners and non-winners.

Award Distribution

ï See considerations above regarding reliability of funds transfer.

ï Some possible methods of distribution:

1. Via Volunteers

2. Via a network of scholarship committee members

3. Via postal money orders

Ongoing Activities

ï Fundraise through a wide range of endeavors such as special events,

sales of handcrafts, foods, and other items, and appeals to local

charitable organizations.

ï Maintain contact with schools.

ï Cultivate sustainable participation of host country nationals to

ensure the future of the scholarship.
In the Classroom:

50 Peace Corps

Resources

Materials Available Through Peace Corpsí

Information Collection and Exchange (ICE)

Community Content Based Instruction (CCBI) Manual (ICE

T0112)

CCBI recognizes the immense power of education as it reflects the

interests, needs, and realities of people and their communities. CCBI

assists all Volunteers in their role as educators in integrating community issues into specific lessons in the classroom and then extending

the classroom into the community with related activities.

Gender and Development Training/ Girlsí Education Manual.

Peace Corps. 1998. (ICE M0054)

Product of the Gender and Development Training Initiative, which

seeks to institutionalize the consideration of gender issues throughout

Peace Corps. Contains eight booklets on gender and development training, which provide background and development of project; training

designs for various participants; session plans and handouts; and insights from the field. Contains four booklets on Girlsí Education, including programming, training, and activities.

Choose a Future: Issues and Options for Adolescent Girls.

CEDPA Publications. 1996. (ICE WD127)

Program guide for facilitators and trainers working with girls ages 12-

20. Brings together ideas and activities to help adolescent girls learn

about and deal with issues they face, including self-esteem problems,

reproductive issues, decision-making skills, community involvement,

and many more.
Empowering Girls

51

Choices: A Teen Womanís Journal for Self-Awareness and

Personal Planning. Mindy Bingham, Kathleen Peters (Editor),

Barbara Green (Editor), Advocacy Press, 1983. (ICE WD135)

Choices provides stories, activities and suggestions on what it is like

to be a girl and what expectations, values and life options are determined by society and culture and, therefore, can be changed. This

book provides a variety of exercises and activities for girls to do alone

or in groups to better understand themselves, their aspirations and

their potential. This book has been the basis of many Peace Corps

activities such as camp GLOW.

Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls. Peace Corps. 2000.

(ICE M0080)

This booklet provides a collection of ideas and activities from Volunteers around the world to be used as a resource in the valuable work of

empowering young women. Chapters address such topics as Helpful

Tips for Organizing a Girlsí Education Event, Mentoring for Empowerment and Leadership, Clubs, Camps and Conferences, Sports, Contests, and Life Skills Education.

The Exchange: Peace Corpsí Women in Development Newsletter

The Exchange is published quarterly by Women in Development, The

Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research, Peace Corps/ Washington, DC and distributed to all Volunteers and Trainees. Each issue

contains the success stories, project results, photos, and commentary

from Peace Corps Volunteers involved in Women in Development

and Gender and Development projects around the world. To contribute to this publication, please contact: Editor, The Exchange/ Women

in Development/ Peace CorpsóThe Center/ 1111 20th Street, NW/

Washington, DC 20526 USA or theExchange@peacecorps.gov.
In the Classroom:

52 Peace Corps

Websites to Support

Girlsí Education Initiatives

United Nations Childrenís Fund (UNICEF) ó www.unicef.org

UNICEF advocates and works for the protection of childrenís rights,

to help the young meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. A section is devoted to girlsí education and voices of youth. Statistics, projects, activities, information

on children worldwide activities on web site.

The Global Fund for Children ó www.globalfundforchildren.org

The Global Fund for Children promotes the human rights of children

and youth by placing their best interests at the center of each activity

ó from finding creative ways to promote literacy to giving them a

stage where their voices can be truly heard. Programs intend to help

young people develop the knowledge and skills that are necessary to

work and live comfortably in a global society. Programs include

ìSHAKTI for childrenî which teaches children to value diversity and

to appreciate the importance of global citizenship. Global Fund for

Children creates multi-cultural books that promote childrenís ideas

and help them gain insight into human, cultural, social and environmental diversity. Xandu Arts Education Projects partners with schools

and community-based organizations gives children the opportunity to

artistically and verbally create their ideal place. The Global Fund grant

project provides small grants to innovative programs that support

underserved children and youth around the world. The grants are

targeted to child laborers, girlsí education and youth leadership

development.

American Association of University Women (AAUW) ó

www.aauw.org

Promotes education and equity for women and girls through research,

fellowships and grants, activism, voter education, and support for discrimination lawsuits. AAUWís role is to support a strong system of
Empowering Girls

53

public education that promotes gender fairness, equity and diversity;

to achieve self-sufficiency for all women; and to guarantee equality

and individual rights for a diverse society. Research is U.S. based ó

first phase focused on the problems girls face in school and the second phase focuses on positive school climates series ó which works

with educational institutions, community coalitions and corporations

to identity approaches and school climates that work to ensure girls

are served in school. Good publications are available.

Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)

ó www.adeanet.org

Established in 1988 to (1) reinforce African ministriesí leadership

capacities as they work with funding agencies; (2) to develop these

agencies awareness that their own practices should be adapted to the

needs of national-driven education policies, programs and progress;

and (3) to develop a consensus between ministries and agencies on

approaches to the major issues facing education in Africa. Has a working group on female participation, a quarterly newsletter and an education database. Contains documents, publications and books on girlsí

education in Africa.

Department of Education ñ United States ó www.ed.gov

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.

The site offers various articles, research, and reports dealing with education, including girls and adolescence. Focus is on the United States.

Womenís College Coalition ó www.academic.org

This website offers information and links in the following topic areas:

What Parents Can Do, Surprising but True [information about girlsí

education], Role Models, Facts About Women and Work, and Resources. The focus is on the United States, however, the information

contained may be readily adapted to other settings, and the links to

other organizationsí websites and resouces are valuable.
In the Classroom:

54 Peace Corps

Strategies for Advancing Girlsí Education (SAGE) ó

http://sage.aed.org

Awarded in 1999, the two-year SAGE project draws upon the extensive basic education and girlsí education experiences of the Academy

for Educational Development to provide technical and training assistance in girlsí primary education to USAID Missions. As a part of the

worldwide WIDTECH project funded by USAIDís Office of Women

in Development (G/WID), SAGE is designed to take a non-traditional,

multi-sectoral approach to increasing involvement in girlsí education. 

SAGE strengthens local ownership of girlsí education by engaging

traditional and non-traditional actors, such as the public and private

sectors, central and decentralized government units, religious and

business leaders, the media and non-governmental organizations, in

implementing local solutions with local resources in support of girlsí

education. The website includes papers and descriptions of girlsí education activities conducted in Guinea, Mali and Washington, DC.
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Appendices

Appendix 1:

Model Lesson: Math ñ Gender Differences in

Daily Life

Academic Subject: Mathematics

Community Topic: Girlsí Education

Level: 5 (Depending on the math level of the students, this lesson

can also be adapted to secondary students.)

Math Objectives:

1. Compile and analyze simple statistics

2. Solve basic statistics-related problems

3. Represent statistical information graphically

Community Content/Gender Difference Objectives:

1. Recognize gender differences in daily activities between males

and females

2. Discuss impact of gender differences on the community

Materials Needed:

Chalk, blackboard, flipchart paper, colored markers, tape

Individual flipcharts with each of the following drawn on them: histogram, pie chart, bar graph, mean, mode, and median.

Time: Three or four double periods
In the Classroom:

56 Peace Corps

Activities

Motivation:

1. As a homework assignment, ask the students to define the

word ìgender.î They are not to look it up in the dictionary,

but should derive a definition by talking to friends, family,

and other community members.

2. Following this assignment, in class the teacher writes the word

ìgenderî on the blackboard. Students then discuss the meaning of the word based on their research. The goal is to have

student arrive at definition of gender, based on their thoughts,

ideas, and perception. The teacher should provide minimum

guidance.

3. Students are put into small groups and instructed to go into

the community to ask gender-based questions.

ï Students will prepare questions before going out into the

community.

ï Each group will interview people in the community about

what they expect the studentsí daily schedules to be like.

For example, ìHow many hours each day does a student

(male, female) cook? Study? Relax?î

ï The last question of the interview will be: ìDo you think

the roles of boys and girls need to be changed? If so, how

would you change them?î

ï Each group reports its findings to the class.

NOTE: Either of the activities following can be used as part of the

motivational step as both flow nicely into the information segment of

this lesson. Teachers also may create another activity that combines

elements from each of the activities presented here.
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Activity 1:

1. The teacher asks students to name a few roles in the family or

community. Those are written on the blackboard as column

headings (such as washing dishes, feeding livestock, harvesting fields, disciplining children, and others). Students are asked

who in the family or community is responsible for each role.

The words ìboy,î ìgirl,î ìman,î ìwoman,î ìmother,î ìfatherî

are written under each heading as students report on who takes

part in that role.

2. The teacher explains that these are gender roles: roles that are

attributed to females or males.

3. Students are put into groups (one group for each heading).

Each group is given one column to work with and told to total

the number of people named in that column. Next, the group

is to divide the total number of people in the column into the

number of males and females in the column. They are asked

if they can determine the percentage of males and females

doing each role.

4. Finally, the groups are given about five minutes to write a

definition for gender. Each group then reads aloud their definition of gender. As each definition is read, the teacher writes

the key words from the definition on the blackboard. Based

on all the key words, the class collectively arrives at a definition of gender. It should be something like: roles, rights, responsibilities, and priorities which a society or culture assigns

to people based on their sex, i.e., being male or female. That

definition is written on a flipchart and put where all students

can see it.

5. Students are asked if there is a word equivalent to gender in

their language. How is that word used in sentences? Is it a

positive word in their language?
In the Classroom:

58 Peace Corps

OR, Activity 2:

1. Divide the class into two groups: all females in one group and

all males in another group. Each group is to generate a typical

daily schedule for themselves, identifying all of their various

tasks in time blocks beginning with the time they get out of

bed in the morning and ending with the time they go to bed in

the evening. The schedules are written on flipchart paper or

other large pieces of paper. If the group chooses, they may do

a separate schedule for unique labor periods, such as harvesting or school versus vacation periods.

2. Each group is also instructed to generate a daily schedule for

the other group. That is, female students will predict the daily

schedule of male students, and visa versa.

3. The two groups then present their work to each other. The

teacher encourages the students to interpret the differences in

labor demand (using percentages) and in perceptions of

workloads. Have students save this work so that constraints

and opportunities for community projects can be focused on

at the end of this lesson. Tape charts somewhere in the room

so that all students can easily see them.

Information

1. Using prepared flipcharts, the teacher presents statistical concepts to students including: a histogram, a pie chart, a bar

graph, mean, mode, and median. After each concept is explained, students are given an opportunity to ask questions

and get clarification about the concepts. Tape the charts somewhere around the room so that all students are able to see

them.

2. Using information from the daily activities exercise or from

the community interviews, the teacher introduces students to
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the methodologies used in each of the statistical processes

presented.

a) Using the daily activity charts, compile information. Example: from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. what is everyone doing?

This might be presented in a pie chart or a histogram.

b) Using the daily activities charts, show students how to

create frequency charts or bar graphs (by sex) for various

activities. Examples: time spent relaxing or in recreation;

time spent studying; time spent doing chores

c) OR, Using the gender roles and community interviews,

have students find means and modes of gender differences

in each of the charts. (Number of hours spent on specific

tasks.)

3. Discuss the meaning of the statistical information.

a) Using the statistics presented, engage the students in a class

discussion by asking them to interpret the local social meanings of the gender differences they have found.

b) Ask students why the gender differences may exist. What

are problems that arise as a result of these differences?

What (if anything), as students, can they do, should they

do, or want to do about them?

Practice

1. Put students into small groups. Each of the groups can use the

information in the activities to compute statistics and draw

graphs. The must use percentage, mean, mode, median, and

represent at least one graph. Each group puts its information

on a flipchart or the blackboard and presents its findings to

the class.
In the Classroom:

60 Peace Corps

2. Review answers and ask students what kind of picture is being painted of their community or family.

Application

1. Evaluation:

ï Students are instructed to use two of the statistical tools

studied during the lesson to compile and evaluate the information gathered from the interviews or daily activity

schedule.

ï During a whole class discussion, students are to use their

statistical analysis to discuss how gender constraints might

be challenged and how new concepts might be introduced

into the community at large.

Community Action

1. Students present the statistical analysis of their interviews or

daily activity schedules to community members during a town

meeting or to their families as homework.

2. Students also present the new concepts which community

members or families mentioned during the interviews, or their

ideas based on class discussion, as ways to overcome gender

constraints. The town meeting or family is encouraged to discuss how the new concepts might be introduced.
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Appendix 2:

Niger: Regional Girlsí Education Festivals

(FÍtes des Filles)

In Niger, 92 percent of women cannot read ó a statistic the government has made a commitment to change. Reasons why girls represent

less than half of the students in most Nigerien schools include the

need for girls to provide labor and child care to help their mothers,

and the fear of many fathers that their daughters will become pregnant if sent away to another town to pursue an education, as is often

necessary in the predominantly rural areas. Both parents expect their

daughters to marry by age 14 or 15, and few see the benefits of anything more than a rudimentary education.

Peace Corps Volunteers are working with the Ministry of Education,

their local schools, communities, parents and students to change perceptions and help keep girls in school. FÍtes des Filles ó or Celebration of Girls ó are becoming more common as they are usually an

inexpensive way to reward girls for scholastic achievement, educate

parents on the benefits of girlsí education, involve community groups

in a positive event, and empower (also be empowered by the participation of) local officials. What started in the eastern town of Goure in

1997 as an essay contest with girls from four towns, community meetings, sessions with successful women, an awards ceremony, mechoui

(sheep and vegetable roast) and evening tam-tam dance, has since

become a popular activity throughout Niger.

The strengths of this activity are its inclusiveness and the way it provides a vehicle for resources to come from within the community.

This results in feelings of ownership of the event. Ownership results

from the following dimensions of the activity.
In the Classroom:

62 Peace Corps

1. Local ministry officials are empowered through consultation and soliciting their approval and participation. They can

help mobilize teachers for essay judging, session facilitation,

planning and community activism. They may also donate

books, pens, paper notebooks or other prizes for participants.

2. Government officials (such as the Mayor or deputy mayor)

lend credibility and seriousness to ceremonies by attending

or speaking in support of the event or girlsí education. They

will often also donate equipment (or as in Goure ó donate

two sheep for the mechoui), and can help mobilize the NGO

community to donate transportation, other prizes, etc.

3. Traditional leaders (such as Chiefs) are empowered by requesting their participation at opening, closing and awards

ceremonies. They also may contribute by mobilizing menís

groups to donate chairs/equipment and housing for girlsí

fathers for the evening. They may donate food items or,

depending on the traditional entertainment in the area, they

may finance or donate the drummers or dance area.

4. Teachers are key in the planning and execution of all the sessions, in facilitating, guiding discussions, judging essays and

quizzes, utilizing their classrooms for events, mobilizing the

community and, generally, taking charge so the activity may

become sustainable (or at the very least have a lasting impact).

5. Womenís and Menís Groups are tremendous resources. The

women may accept payment or donate their efforts by chaperoning girls, cooking meals, and giving local womenís perspective in discussion groups. Menís groups may house girlsí

fathers if they are from other villages, they may participate in

discussion groups, help roast sheep or set up for ceremonies.

They also help mobilize the community to attend the ceremonies and participate.
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6. Fathers and Mothers of girls must give permission for them

to participate. Because they are often the primary decisionmakers regarding their daughtersí education, it may be more

effective to invite fathers to attend along with the girls so they

can attend discussion group sessions, see their daughters

receive awards, and discuss with other parents the benefits of

girlsí education. Your event may also take a different direction and celebrate womenís accomplishments by having

mothers participate in discussions and activities.

7. Female Role Models are powerful examples to rural girls

who may not envision a life outside of subsistence farming

and child-rearing. Sessions with women professionals like

teachers, ministry officials, and nurses allow girls to see positive images that are relevant in their culture.

8. Girls in primary school participate by answering questions

on a ìquizî; the top scorers are able to participate.

9. Girls in secondary school participate by writing essays on

education or womenís participation in society (the topic could

be whatever the group thinks is relevant). Those whose essays

receive the best scores are then able to participate in the Fete.

10. Boys may participate depending on the objectives of the festival. Many boys also do not have the opportunity to continue

their education beyond grade school and need encouragement

to continue when their future options seem limited.

11. NGOs in the area may participate to raise their own visibility

and can help organize by being on a planning committee,

donating use of their vehicle for the day, prizes for participants, use of meeting rooms or other facilities. Ideally, a host

country NGO will want to be a partner in the event, hold a

supporting or complementary event as part of the festival, and

may become responsible for future events.
In the Classroom:

64 Peace Corps

12. Peace Corps Staff Members or WID/GAD Coordinator

may facilitate and speak with community groups during the

execution of the event. This adds credibility to the event especially when the person, or his/her counterpart, is a host country national and is able to communicate well with the audience.

13. Volunteers Depending on the scope of the activity, there may

be a lot of work Volunteers need to do in soliciting assistance

from many sources, seeking speakers, securing donations,

recruiting facilitators and obtaining the investment of various

officials and groups. Because the initial impetus may come

from the Volunteer, it is understandable that many may feel

ownership of the activity or at least feel a tendency to become

the driving force behind the activityís planning, organization,

fund raising, and community mobilization. The FÍte des Filles

is an activity that takes long-term planning, so that it sometimes can be easier for Volunteers to ìjust do itî instead of

drawing in participants from the groups listed above. This

can be a mistake. By having patience with the different pace

of planning and the varying comfort levels people may have

with uncertainty (in many African communities, there is often faith that events will ìhappenî and participants may not

feel the need to plan very precisely), the community itself

will feel they put on this celebration. Teachers, ministry officials and community leaders will have contributed and

planned, and rightfully so, can take credit for their work. When

this happens, they will be more likely to repeat similar events

in the future and the Volunteersí work will be far more lasting

in the end.
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Highlights and Variations in towns across Niger:

In Baleyara: Secondary school girls came together to discuss the lives

of women in Niger. Volunteers invited role models, including a Peace

Corps staff member to come and discuss their personal experiences

and to exchange perspectives on life as a woman in Niger. Afterwards,

the girls expressed their thoughts and feelings through the creation of

a mural.

In Maradi: Volunteers held an essay contest with boys and girls to

see how they perceived the role of Nigerien women and discussed the

history of National Womenís Day. Essay contest winners attended a

government/NGO organized Womenís Day celebration with their

mothers and read their essays at the festival.

In Konni: Sixteen girls from various villages came to Konni and eight

Volunteers met with head teacher. They toured the middle school and

met with female role models. The next day, the girls went to work

with the role models and in the afternoon their fathers arrived and

participated in small and large discussion groups.

In Goure: The festival brought together both primary and secondary

school girls. The primary school girls wrote essays on the importance

of girlsí education and solved a math problem while the secondary

school girls talked with female role models. Then everyone came together to talk about the next session, then divided into four groups: 1)

fathers 2) younger girls 3) functionaries or officials 4) older girls.

They worked out a problem tree (utilizing a PACA tool where a problem is identified as a tree with contributing factors as the roots feeding into it, and the leaves as possible solutions and positive outcomes)

about girlsí education in Niger. After that, they came back as a larger

group with each smaller group having the chance to present their tree.

This proved very powerful because the girls had not had the opportunity to voice their thoughts and feelings on education to their fathers

and community members before.
In the Classroom:

66 Peace Corps

In Torodi: Five essay winners traveled to the nearby capital where

they ate lunch and talked with three educated Nigerien women. Afterwards, there was a discussion of womenís rights under Islam and the

girls returned to Torodi. The next day, two Peace Corps host country

national staff members came to Torodiís middle school to facilitate a

debate about young girlsí education. PACA problem trees were created

followed by discussion and then a tam-tam.

In Gaya: Talambou villagers performed skits about why parents should

put their daughters in school. All school children, girls and boys, and

their parents attended. Eleven female role models spoke about their

work and emphasized the importance of education, which was followed by lunch and festivities.
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Appendix 3:

School Development Workshop:

ìEncouraging Excellenceî Sample Agenda

8:00-9:00 am Sharing storiesóìStudents Who Shineî

Teachers share stories in small groups about some

of their students who have excelled (girls). In groups,

they discuss some of the factors that have contributed to this excellence. Consider factors such as: in

class environment, out of class environment, home

environment, and community support.

9:00-10:00 am Groups highlight their success stories and share how

certain factors have helped to contribute to this success. Record this information on a flipchart entitled

ìEncouraging Excellence.î

Ask for additional comments on what the staff can

do to encourage excellence. Post these lists in the

staff room.

10:15-11:00 am Teacher discussion groupsóScenarios and solutions

Each group reviews one of the following scenarios

and presents to the rest of the groups. (See below.)

11:00-12:30 am Next stepsóAction plans for excellence

Individual and school-wide plans are made based on

the factors and methods that contribute to excellence

in girls.
In the Classroom:

68 Peace Corps

Scenarios:

ï You become aware that a grade seven male teacher has been

soliciting favors from the female students. How would you

deal with this problem?

ï Awa, an 8th grade girl, did not complete her homework last

night because she was pounding rice. This is the first time she

has not finished her homework. How would you handle this

situation?

ï Bintaís mother just had a baby. Binta is now expected to stay

home from school to help with house chores. Do you try to

appeal to the family so that Binta may return to school? Why

or why not?

ï Mrs. Saidy obviously treats the girls in her 6th grade class differently from the boys. For example, she always calls on the

boys to answer questions and the girls do chores at school. Do

you ignore the situation or do you speak up and discuss it with

someone? Why or why not?

ï You notice that several grade eight girls are constantly trying

to impress the boys and male teachers at school by dressing

provocatively. Do you deal with the situation or just let it be?

What course of action would you take?

ï Mama is a grade seven girl at your school who finds school

challenging, but works hard and passes her exams. She comes

to you and tells you she is pregnant. Mama wants to complete

her schooling. What should you do?

ï Buba is a ninth grade boy and confided in you that his girlfriend Mama is pregnant. He wants to finish his schooling.

What is Bubaís fate? How can you help Buba?
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Appendix 4:

Improving Educational Opportunities for

Girls: Getting Girls Into School and Keeping

Them There

Excerpts reprinted with permission from Institute for International

Research Consortium. The publication was developed by the IIR Consortium under Contract #HNE-5848-C-00-6046-00, The Girlsí and

Womenís Education Activity, United States Agency for International

Development (USAID), Office of Women in Development, Bureau

for Global Programs, Field Support and Research.

Many factors shape the environment in which girls receive a basic

education ó government policy and practice, the school system, community practices, religious beliefs, and cultural attitudes and behaviors. Key actors who influence the kind of education (or lack of it)

that girls receive include national politicians, community leaders,

religious leaders, the business community, the media, teachers, parents and even the girls themselves. To enroll girls in school and keep

them there, these key actors in society need to actively identify ways

to contribute time and resources to promote girlsí education. They

must work to transform factors that inhibit girlsí school participation

and strengthen those that support their successful completion of school.

Getting girls into school requires that:

ï national policies favor girlsí attendance;

ï school facilities are safe;

ï schooling is affordable.

Keeping girls in school requires that:

ï they live in a society where they are encouraged to participate

and do their best;
In the Classroom:

70 Peace Corps

ï schooling is relevant to their lives;

ï they participate fully in learning.

Government ministries and political leaders can:

ï reduce the direct and indirect costs of schooling

ï develop policies that benefit girls; eliminate punitive pregnancy

policies; teach children in the lower grades in home languages

that they can understand without out-of-school study time;

ï develop policies to protect girlsí security; establish age of entry policies to enroll girls in school and complete the primary

cycle before puberty; establish textbook policies that provide

books to girls and let them take them home to study

ï place a priority on supporting basic education and increase

funding for primary education

ï create more school places ó use school mapping to target under-served locations

ï introduce the use of double-shifts and multi-grades

ï establish repetition policies and automatic promotion policies

ï develop policies and introduce incentives to attract and support

female teachers in rural schools

ï introduce flexible scheduling of the school calendar

ï provide tax benefits to parents for sending their daughters or

wards to school

ï conduct social marketing campaigns to inform the community

about the benefits of educating girls and to learn more about

why not all girls attend school

ï revise the curriculum to make it more relevant to the education

of girls
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ï place a priority on developing science, math and technology

programs that get girls intimately involved in learning

ï revise textbooks ó replace negative images or stereotypes

about girls and women; incorporate activities that specifically

involve girls and introduce positive stories about women and

girls and their contributions to society

ï increase spending on learning materials

ï introduce gender sensitization programs for ministry and school

personnel

ï provide role models and mentoring programs

ï explore cross-ministry and sector efforts to improve the health

of school children and girls in particular

ï introduce alternative learning programs such as community

schools, schools-of-second-chance, evening classes, and other

programs that are responsive to the learning needs of many

girls

ï conduct on-going school-level research in order to learn more

about the classroom experiences of girls

The religious community can:

ï specify and publicize how religious teachings support girlsí

education

ï conduct community-based dialogues and form planning committees to discuss ways to sponsor girlsí education in their area

ï sponsor or take part in a symposium that brings different religious leaders and groups together to discuss girlsí education

and the role and actions that religion plays in encouraging or

discouraging girlsí schooling
In the Classroom:

72 Peace Corps

ï develop community-based child care programs to free girls from

childcare responsibilities

ï sponsor parenting programs that promote encouragement of

girl children

ï develop community-based maintenance programs to improve

routes that girls use to walk to school

ï collaborate with communities to build latrines and promote

girlsí safety

ï write a series of editorials about girlsí education

ï speak publicly in support of girlsí education at conferences,

religious seminars and meetings and in community fora

ï promote girlsí education on radio and television

The business community can:

ï sponsor school-level competitions that encourage improved

access, participation and persistence for girls

ï develop community-based child care programs

ï support community-based maintenance programs to improve

routes that girls use to walk to school

ï build latrines and other infrastructure improvements at schools

ï sponsor community-based programs on how parents can support their daughtersí education

ï develop programs to provide library books, sports equipment,

exercise books, pencils and other supplies to schools

ï sponsor scholarship programs for girls
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ï pay for advertising (e.g., billboards, newspaper advertisements)

with a slogan that represents the goal and vision of girlsí education (e.g., ìlittle by little we will go farî)

ï encourage and sponsor employees and staff to become involved

in efforts to promote girlsí education

ï provide experts to work with the ministry and schools to

improve the curriculum, instruction and training

ï place the slogan on their company vehicles ó ì(name of company) supports girlsí education.....î

ï sponsor coupon books that can be sold to raise funds for girlsí

education ó (e.g., companies/businesses offer coupons for services at a reduced rate for the people who purchase the coupon

books)

ï assist in the development of labor-saving technologies at the

community level

Communities can:

ï establish community-based child care programs to free girls

from the responsibility of caring for younger siblings

ï ensure that routes children use to walk to school are safe and

well-maintained

ï assign chaperones to accompany girls to school

ï use participatory exercises to determine why school-age children, particularly girls, are not in school and propose actions

to overcome constraints

ï introduce labor-saving technologies to free up girlsí time

ï ensure that the school is secure for girls
In the Classroom:

74 Peace Corps

ï provide adequate and sanitary latrines

ï install a birth registration program to keep track of school-age

girls

NGOs can:

ï conduct social marketing campaigns to inform the community

about the benefits of educating girls and to learn more about

why not all girls go to school

ï provide role models and mentoring programs

ï introduce alternative learning programs such as community

schools, schools-of-second chance, evening classes, and other

programs that are responsive to the learning needs of many

girls

ï use participatory exercises to determine why school-age children, particularly girls, are not in school and propose actions

to overcome the constraints

ï introduce labor-saving technologies to free up girlsí time

ï pay for advertising (e.g., billboards, newspaper advertisements)

with a slogan that represents the goal and vision of girlsí education (e.g., ìlittle by little we will go farî)

The media can:

ï provide radio and TV spots that heighten awareness about the

needs for girlsí education and repeat the slogan, goal and vision

statement periodically throughout the day

ï produce a documentary about the factors that influence a girlís

education and identify ways that different groups (parents,

business people, politicians) can provide support
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ï write a series of editorials about girlsí education

ï produce a TV series or soap opera that focuses on girlsí education in rural and urban areas and discusses different issues each

week that girls face (extra work, harassment, discrimination,

expectations)

ï sponsor fundraising campaigns in which donors are identified

and the common goal is highlighted each day/week

ï produce a weekly radio program that highlights what different

schools are doing to promote girlsí education and acts as a

catalyst to advance school-level initiatives

Entertainment personalities/artists/well-known athletes can:

ï give musical performances to raise resources for girlsí education

ï become spokespersons to different groups (e.g., unions, civic

clubs) and in the media to advocate for girlsí education

ï donate art for public fundraising auctions

ï perform promotional spots to promote girlsí education

ï conduct school visits and serve as role models

Schools can:

ï strengthen school-community links by supporting parenting

programs and encouraging the formation of school boards and

parent associations

ï develop regulations dealing with inappropriate behavior towards girls

ï ensure that the school is safe for girls
In the Classroom:

76 Peace Corps

ï provide an adequate number of sanitary latrines

ï ensure that girls have the same opportunity as boys to receive

textbooks and other instructional materials

ï ensure that school chores are equitably assigned to both boys

and girls

Teachers can:

ï encourage girls to become more actively engaged in classroom

learning activities

ï provide positive reinforcement to girls when they give correct

answers

ï develop classroom rules that promote respect for both boys

and girls

ï ensure that boys and girls have an equitable assignment of

chores in the classroom

ï provide textbooks and other instructional materials to girls

ï create study and discussion groups for girls to help them with

homework and daily issues

ï assign leadership roles to girls as well as boys

ï refrain from using personal rebukes when correcting or punishing students
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77

Parents can:

ï provide time for girls to do homework and study at home, and

check their work when possible

ï distribute home chores equitably between sons and daughters

ï encourage daughters and sons to get enough sleep

ï show daily interest in their daughterís school work

ï provide them with learning materials and uniforms

ï ensure that they eat a good breakfast and lunch
In the Classroom:

78 Peace Corps

Girls can:

ï ask teachers for help when they donít understand or donít know

an answer

ï recognize that not all subjects are easy and that they should try

as hard as boys to master them

ï walk to school together with other pupils

ï take their textbooks home and make time to study and do homework

ï form study groups with others
Empowering Girls

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Got a Good Idea?

Send us your ìideaî suggestions for The Idea Book.

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax:

E-mail:

Hereís my idea(s) that might be useful in future idea books:

If necessary, attach additonal sheets to complete description.

Include any samples or photos that help illustrate your project ideas.

Send to: Peace Corps

Information Collection and Exchange

1111 20th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20526

Telephone: (202) 692-2640

Fax: (202) 692-2641
In the Classroom:

80 Peace Corps