Leveraging girls’ leadership skills to advance education in Somalia

• In Event: Community and Social (Re)Integration after Conflict and War through Education

Proposal

In Somalia, Girls’ Empowerment Forums (GEFs) (leadership clubs) were established for adolescent girls in upper primary and secondary schools in order to provide a platform for girls not only to develop leadership capacities but also to explore opportunities to act on their capacities focused on improving educational outcomes among some of the most marginalized girls in Somalia and Somaliland. Members of the GEFs play a key role in supporting other community actors to adress pertinent development challenges in their communities through training and support from mentors, girls acquired leadership skills ans were able to develop both individual and collective resilience. This presentation will highlight the work of the 18 Girls’ Empowerment Forum Networks in Somalia, which are currently engaging girls participating in 283 Forums, under the leadership of peer mentors, to mobilize communities to address issues affecting them in terms of access to education, health, sanitation, and prevention of early marriage, among others. The networks are linked to Ministry of Youth’s Youth Centers to enhance access to resources.

Author

• Lotte Marianne Pires Renault, CARE USA