Mobilizing Communities for Girls' Education: Models from Egypt

May 17, 2005—Today, more than 100 million children of primary school age are not in school—and more than half are girls. Yet, educating girls is one of the smartest investments that nations can make in their development. When an educated girl grows up, she is more likely to delay marriage, have fewer children and have greater resources to enable her family, community and nation to thrive.

What can communities do to encourage more girls to go to school and stay in school?

To share successful program models, CEDPA launched a new technical seminar series on May 5 with partners Family Health International and Save the Children. The series focuses on lessons learned and challenges for the future from on-the-ground programs in areas like girls’ education.

The first seminar, held May 5 to a standing-room only crowd at the Sumner School in Washington, DC, shared results from comprehensive, non-formal girls’ education programs in Egypt. From 1994–2004, the USAID-funded New Horizons and New Visions programs implemented by CEDPA/Egypt educated and trained 125,000 people and supported 365 Egyptian nongovernmental organizations and youth centers. (Read more about the New Horizons and New Visions programs.)

The May 5 seminar included experts from the Egyptian Embassy, U.S. Agency for International Development, CEDPA, Population Council and Save the Children. The speakers emphasized community mobilization efforts and partnerships with parents and religious institutions that achieved impressive results in increasing support for girls’ education in communities where the program was held.

Presenters also focused on the impact on individual lives. Girls like Ghania Ewida Ahmad graduated from the New Horizons program to become community leaders and advocates for girls’ education. Today, at age 23, Ghania is chairperson of the Association of Women, a local Egyptian organization that addresses illiteracy, gender and civic awareness.

Future technical seminar topics will include maternal and child health, gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS and conflict mitigation.

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