Empowering grandmothers for children's education

The primary reason is that in hierarchically structured societies, elders, particularly older women, have authority over girls and younger women. In addition, they influence the head of the families, (their sons’) decisions. Secondly, Grandmothers spend a significant amount of time with children. They are constantly organizing activities with children in the community, like storytelling sessions and counselling them on various issues. Lastly, leadership training empowers grandmothers to unlock their life experience skills to be a force for change. 

Grandmother Project’s leadership training sessions in 2023 improved the leadership of grandmothers and empowered them in their communities to promote the importance of children’s, especially girls’ education and their holistic development. The training sessions were organized in a series of participatory learning activities to stimulate critical thinking through dialogue among the participants, draw awareness to common concerns and propose possible solutions. These activities included role plays and case study discussions on daily situations, based on drawings, photos and testimonies of grandmothers from different communities. In conclusion, the 2023 Grandmother Leadership Training program was very successful in empowering grandmothers to ensure that all children, but especially girls, can benefit from their wisdom and continue their education.

Feedbacks from the participants: 

“The training sessions to strengthen our role regarding children’s education in our neighborhoods, increase our confidence to invest more in promoting their schooling, especially for girls. Today, we have more courage and arguments to mobilize our community members for supporting girls schooling.” 

Grandmother Leader, Vélingara

“Today, we are very comfortable because we have excellent relationships with our elders, which was not the case in the recent past. In our village, the relationships between young girls and grandmothers have been greatly strengthened thanks to the various activities carried out with Grandmother Project. This situation reassures us and reinforces our self-confidence.”, Young Girl Leader, Chateau d’Eau

Children in Vélingara often spend their summer holidays working with their families in agricultural activities to help them earn more money. Grandmother Project’s school holiday program is an excellent way to educate the community about the rights and responsibilities of children, especially in rural areas, whilst offering children a program of activities to enrich their summer holidays with fun and exciting games and opportunities to learn about their community and culture.   Children in rural areas in Senegal, like Vélingara, do not perform as well as their urban counterparts and often do not continue their education into secondary school.

Grandmother Project’s Summer Holidays Program meets an identified need in the community.  In addition to necessary reinforcement of core subjects like math and French, children also learn about local history and culture. Everyone is involved in the summer holiday program: teachers facilitate the activities and work together with the community members who are invited to participate, particularly the grandmothers.  Culture, tradition and community history are also a focus of the program activities, as are the importance of elders, strengthening intergenerational relationships and the rights and responsibilities of children in the community.

Traditional games, cultural practices and sessions on the community’s history are some of the activities that form part of the school holiday programme.  Children learn about traditional farming and livestock care practices, in addition to delving into thought provoking discussion about who they are and what their role is in their community with games such as “Who are we?” and “About us”. 

This year, due to social and political unrest in the region, Grandmother Project has partnered with community leaders, particularly grandmothers, and teachers to introduce lessons on civic values and citizenship. 

This year over 7,000 boys and girls of various ages have participated in the summer school, which was supported by 33 teachers and over 1,000 grandmothers.  We need your help to make sure these children can continue to receive the support necessary to ensure they stay in school and thrive.  Your support can help these children continue their education.