Need

In the Ejere District of Ethiopia girls from rural areas are under-represented in the one High School and are much more likely to drop out than their male counterparts. Many young people live too far away from the High School to walk there every day so they have to rent rooms in the town, which often puts girls at risk. Girls who do walk long distances to school are at risk from assault, abduction and forced early marriage. Others are kept at home for financial reasons or to help with the family

Solution

For-ethiopia has established a prototype dormitory for girls in rented property near the High School in Addis Alem. Scholarships have been awarded to 20 suitable girls from outlying villages to enable them to progress to secondary education. Safe study facilities are being provided in the library at the High School in the evenings. A training and registration scheme for landlords will be set up and we will work in partnership with the local community to reduce the incidence of early marriage.

Aims

Establish a scholarship fund and award bursaries to suitable girls seeking secondary education

Activities

» Establish a representative Project Management Committee and agree terms of reference requiring it to launch a scholarship fund and invite applications
» Work with the local Project Management Committee to agree a selection process and criteria and select ten major and ten minor award winners
» Work with the local Project Management Committee to establish effective, equitable, secure and reliable procedures for the distribution of funds
» Ensure appropriate procedures are in place to monitor, review and evaluate award winners' well-being and academic progress

Success will be the selection and retention at the High School of 20 award winners – 10 resident in the dormitory and 10 minor award winners receiving cash support towards expenses

Establish a prototype dormitory for girls in rented accommodation near the High School in Addis Alem

Activities

» Locate, furnish and equip suitable residential accommodation for major award winners in Addis Alem, near the High School
» Appoint a Project Manager/Housemother to run the residential accommodation and provide pastoral support for girls from rural areas at the High School
» Agree, in consultation with stakeholders, house rules and a code of conduct for residents of the dormitory which ensure child protection

Success will be demonstrated by the smooth running of a good quality, well-equipped, rented house, supervised by an effective house mother, whose residents are making good progress

Improve opportunities for girls living away from home to access safe study facilities after school

Activities

» Make arrangements with the High School for the opening of the school library on four evenings per week
» Work with the High School to arrange qualified supervision and tutorial support for students working in the school library in the evenings
» Arrange, through the Project Management Committee, for the recruitment of guards to escort female students home after the school library closes

Success will be regular use at least twice a week, by award winners and other female students, of study facilities available in the High School library after school hours

Improve conditions for girls from rural areas at the High School renting accommodation in Addis Alem

Activities

» Identify and conduct a survey of the location and quality of rented rooms currently being hired to students from rural areas attending the High School
» In partnership with the High School and local education authorities, invite landlords of such rooms to join a registration scheme
» Provide training for participating landlords in Child Protection and other issues relating to students' well-being, with a particular focus on girls
» Encourage students, particularly girls, only to rent rooms from registered landlords

Success will be achieved by the attendance of at least 20 landlords at an initial meeting and at least 10 who agree to participate in the scheme and attend training

Reduce the incidence of early marriage in rural communities in the Ejere District around Addis Alem

Activities

» In partnership with local authorities and the High School, hold workshops for community leaders and parents focused on the efficacy of later marriage
» In partnership with the Women's Affairs office and the High School, invite suitable female role models to attend workshops and visit local communities
» Include, in the mentoring support and group tutoring for award winners and other girls at the High School, reference to the efficacy of later marriage

Success will be achieved if at least 90% of award winners complete their secondary education before marrying and reports of the incidence of early marriage reduce by at least 20%.

Impact

Success will be demonstrated by more equal representation of girls in Grades 9-12 at the High School in Addis Alem, a reduction in the drop-out rate for girls of at least 20% and a significant improvement in the standards of girls' achievement. There will be a reduction of at least 10% in teenage pregnancies in the rural areas and the landlord registration scheme will include 80% of landlords renting rooms to High School students. Local authorities will play a bigger role in girls' welfare.

Risk

Award winners may drop out before completing their secondary education or not make appropriate academic progress. Effective pastoral and academic support in the form of group tutoring and individual mentoring, provided by the Project Manager and others, will reduce this risk. Similarly minor award winners will be helped to use their cash support effectively. A strong partnership involving the relevant local authorities, the High School and community leaders will promote the chances of success.

Reporting

Using monthly updates from Ethiopia, we communicate with donors through email newsletters and regular reports on the For-ethiopia website. Updates are provided at all fundraising events held in Bristol and the surrounding area. Trustees will visit Addis Alem and report back to donors.

Budget - Project Cost: £38,000

Current Funding / Pledges

Source	Amount
For-ethiopia funds	£18,000	Guaranteed

Location

The Ejere District of Ethiopia is 55km west of Addis Ababa in the Oromia region. With a population of around 100,000, it is a rural area centred on the town of Addis Alem. The majority of the population are subsistence farmers with few other sources of employment. Poverty is both widespread and deep. There are over 30 primary schools but only one secondary school. Transport is difficult as there is only one tarmac road - from Addis Ababa, through Addis Alem and west to Ambo, the regional capital

Beneficiaries

In the shorter term, the project will benefit the life chances of the 20 girls who receive awards and their families and communities. We hope this project will provide a prototype for improving the quality of women's education in rural areas of Ethiopia and there has already been a great deal of interest from local and regional authorities. Evidence shows that a child born to a mother with secondary education is 60% more likely to survive that one born to a mother with only primary education.

Why Us?

For-ethiopia has been working in the Ejere District since its foundation in 2004. We have good local knowledge and excellent relationships with local communities and local authorities. With a proven track record of success in development work, we were designated a model NGO by the regional authority in Oromia in 2008. There are no other NGOs doing similar work in this part of Ethiopia. Our Programme Director in Ethiopia was born and brought up in Ejere and is very well known and respected.

Read more about the Charity running this project.

People

Worknesh Daba - Programme Director In Ethiopia

Worknesh is key to all our successful work in and around Addis Alem. She has an amazing capacity to make things happen and attends to every detail.