Completed project
Girls' Education for a Better Future in the African Great Lakes Region (EDUFAM)
2020 to 2024
$13,991,234 CAD
Global Affairs Canada
$178,000 CAD
Fondation Paul Gérin-Lajoie
24,810
girls, teenagers and women
The aim of the ÉDUFAM project is to facilitate access to quality education for many girls, teenagers and women in areas particularly affected by the displacement crisis in the Great Lakes region of East Africa. ÉDUFAM targets women refugees, displaced persons, returnees and women living with disabilities, who live together in local communities. By working to create environments adapted to their needs, we aim to increase their retention in school, as well as their ability to take part in decision-making and defend their educational rights.
We couldn't do it without our partners. These include four local and regional organizations, including Concertation des collectifs des associations féminines de la région des Grands Lacs (COCAFEM), Forum des éducatrices africaines (FAWE) and Humanité & Inclusion (HI).
Education to counter insecurity
Overcoming obstacles to education for women and girls through a holistic approach
Conflict in Africa's Great Lakes region has led to the death and forced displacement of millions of people. Insecurity and poverty are pervasive, limiting access to education, especially for women and girls. In the territory of Fizi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the district of Kirehe in Rwanda and in the commune of Gasorwe in Burundi, the obstacles are numerous and need to be addressed in their entirety.
The ÉDUFAM project is equipping educational establishments with gender-based violence policies and an effective monitoring and reporting system, in addition to improving school infrastructure and materials. This measure is in addition to those undertaken to remedy the deterrent effect of the cost of education, to enable women leaving the formal school system to develop income-generating activities, and to help girls, teenagers and women take part in decision-making and defend their educational rights.
Meaningful Results
Empowerment of women and girls progresses rapidly in the Great Lakes region
25,000
girls, adolescents, and women—including refugees and displaced persons—reached
24
schools rehabilitated and equipped to meet the needs of girls and adolescents, including through the creation of safe spaces
97%
of girls in school are satisfied with the quality of teaching, compared to 71% at the start of the project
87%
of parents are aware that marriage and early pregnancy are obstacles to education (compared to 58% at the start of the project)
73%
of girls and teenagers now feel safe at all times at school (compared to 44% at the start of the project)
3
communities supported
3,500
girls and adolescents facing learning difficulties and at risk of dropping out received support to remain in school (including through tutoring support)
2,800
out-of-school or formerly out-of-school girls and adolescents, among the most vulnerable, supported to enroll or re-enroll in school since the beginning of the project
96
community relays implementing individualized support systems co-developed with refugee or displaced girls
Our partners
Thank you to our financial, consortium and implementation partners, without whom this project would not be possible.
