Girls education

Access to inclusive and quality education for girls essential to promoting gender equality and empowerment. Education gives women and girls the opportunity to access social, economic and political opportunities.

Educated girls seldom marry young and are seen to lead more healthy and meaningful lives as they can understand and mindfully engage with the world around them and take on leadership roles.

Girls face barriers to education often because they are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty, harmful socio-cultural norms and practices, violence and violation, poor infrastructure and lack of agency. An education free of harmful gender/social norms empower girls and boys and enables them to contribute to reductions in school-related gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child/early marriage.

Along with social, political and economic barriers, climate change creates additional vulnerability for women and girls. In this context, there is a need for collective action and initiatives that tackle the multitude of issues faced by girls.

Past and current projects supporting girls education

Getting children back to school in Pakistan

In 2022 Pakistan experienced some of its deadliest floods in years. VSO are helping to ensure education is still possible for children displaced by flooding.

Strengthening civil society organisations for resilient and inclusive education governance

Ensuring every child in Nepal has the right to a quality education, free from discrimination.

Empowering Adolescent Girls to Learn and Earn (EAGLE)

Improving literacy, numeracy, business, and life skills for adolescent girls in Mozambique.

An older woman and a teenage girl sit outside on the ground in Nepal, studying

Empowering a new generation of adolescent girls with education (ENGAGE)

Addressing socio-cultural norms in Nepal to ensure girls education is prioritised, and girls with disabilities are given the chance to thrive.

Two young schoolchildren sit on the floor at Mdzobwe Primary School and use their tablets to learn

Building Educational Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT)

Improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills for 3.5 million children in Malawi.

Mrs Emily Groga, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Basic & Senior Secondary Education, launching the BFLTT project.

Building Foundational Learning Through Technology

In April 2023 VSO was delighted to launch an exciting new educational technology programme “Building Foundational learning through technology project (BFLTT) in Sierra Leone.

Sisters for Sisters' Education

Supporting vulnerable girls to succeed in school – and beyond.

View all our education projects

Gati supports her mentee Evalyne through any challenges she is facing and with her studies.

Support us with a donation

Paul Wambugu

£10 a month could help a VSO volunteer to coach a teacher in how to make lessons inclusive so that vulnerable children have the opportunity to learn.

17-year-old Student Celine, inside an education catch-up centre in southwest Kenya.

VSO/Paul Wambugu

£15 a month could enable volunteers to challenge gender inequality and raise awareness of the dangers of child marriage within their community.

Rohingya children in refugee camp classroom

£25 a month could help provide safe spaces for refugee children to learn, play and reclaim a sense of childhood.

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£25

£25 could supply an education kit containing a school bag, books, pencils, pens and erasers, so children are equipped to learn. 

Dhanmati, volunteer big sister with her little sister

£50 could help match a VSO volunteer with a girl who has been forced out of school to help her gain life-changing skills.

Suraj Shakya

£100 could help provide a wheelchair or prosthesis to a disabled girl so that she can access the classroom and be able to get an education.

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£100