Scholarships+ mentoring+ teacher development+ community engagement brings more girls into the classroom
Region: East Africa, West Africa
When you educate a girl, you change not just her life — you transform her family, her community, her nation. The Four Pillars PLUS project in Kenya and Nigeria uses scholarships, professional development for teachers, mentoring and community participation to get girls into the classroom and keep them there. Since its inception in 2008, the project has provided 2,300 primary and secondary school scholarships to girls in Kenya; 264 girls were awarded scholarships in 2012 in Nigeria, where the project is completing its first year. Girls are mentored on issues that help them build life and leadership skills, improve self-esteem and increase their knowledge about proper nutrition and HIV prevention. In Kenya’s 10 participating primary schools, enrollment for girls has increased by 29 percent, and student pregnancy has been eliminated. Moreover, 81 percent of the girls in these schools transitioned to post-primary institutions, outperforming the national average of 67 percent.
Funder: GE Foundation
