Giving girls a fair chance

Girls face many barriers on the road to a better future.

Many issues affecting their education are grounded in their local cultural. For example, female circumcision and genital cutting are practiced in almost all parts of Ethiopia, including the capital, Addis Ababa. Early marriage is also a common practice in the northern part of the country.

In most cultures, boys are given top priority. Parents prefer to send their sons to school rather than their daughters. Girls are needed at home to help with cooking, cleaning, fetching, fire wood and water, and carrying for younger siblings. The burden of caring for the sick and those living with HIV/AIDS falls on the shoulders of the girls in the family.

Many factors in Ethiopian schools further inhibit girls chances for success:

Most of the educational materials feature images and stories about boys, giving girls few role models. There are no separate washing or latrine facilities for boys and girls. It is often hard for girls to explain their need for privacy with members of the predominantly male faculty.

Boys often beat, bully, and harrass girls in schools both physically and emotionally. In urban centers, girls may be accosted on their way to school. Abduction of girls in rural Ethiopia is an almost daily phenomenon. As a result, parents are less likely to allow their daughters to attend school if they have to travel long distances unaccompanied.

Girls often miss classes to help their mothers with household burdens resulting in frequently poorer school performance among girls.

Plan turns the tide

To address the need for better education for girls, Plan has been carrying out integrated programs in both urban and rual settings since 1995.

Plan Ethiopia invested in communities by developing:

• primary schools
• Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Centers
• school and public libraries
• health posts
• savings and credit systems
• training programs in horticulture and vocational skills
• improved access to water and sanitation

Through workshops, theater, music, and poetry readings,Plan has been training teachers, community members, officials, and religious leaders,  on the prevention and control of harmful traditional practices and HIV/AIDS, child rights, and gender equity.

Currently, almost 30,000 children in urban areas and 14,856 children in rural parts of Ethopia benefit from Plan supported schools. In both areas, nearly 50% of the children engaged are girls. That's a start, but there is much more to do.