UNICEF estimates that over 60% of women age 15 and above in Senegal are illiterate, and that only 16 percent of Senegalese girls finish elementary school and go on to secondary school. Our project will assist 200 adolescent girls yearly in Dakar's urban slums to have access to continued education; help families and communities provide support to their daughters in school; and work to break down the economic, cultural and social barriers that keep girls from attending and succeeding in school.
Illiteracy is considered one of the main factors for the abject poverty level in Senegal, and it's more serious in the rural areas and urban slums of the country. In most regions of the country, girls are commonly employed in economic activities, making poor parents keep their children, especially girls, out of school in order for them to earn some additional income for the family. Alongside the economic reasons, early marriage, teenage pregnancy, cultural norms make girls education difficult.
The project will address the complex reasons for girls' non-attendance or poor performance in school by: Boosting girls' school enrolment through scholarships, school supplies, and mentoring to help them remain and succeed in school. Providing home based care to assist families in supporting their girls while at school. Enhancing health/social education and supplies to help prevent illness and school absences. Promoting community outreaches to help them increase investment in girls.
By providing support for adolescent girls' to enrol and remain in school as well as home based care for vulnerable families, our project will empower 200 young girls a year to fight the causes and effects of poverty in their lives and to build a brighter future for themselves, their families and their communities. Our project will reduce poverty levels in remote, urban slums of Dakar in Senegal and help the most marginalized and underserved children and their families through quality education.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
