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Education and empowerment: you're nobody until somebody trains you

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Improving girls' access to education has been on the mainstream development agenda for some time, largely because of the poverty reduction potential that education offers through increasing access to economic opportunity. The long-term positive effects of education for the individual, family and wider society have also been recognised. As a study by the International Center for Research on Women confirms, "women are more likely to control their own destinies and effect change in their own communities when they have higher levels of education".

In addition, education is often seen as one of the main pathways to achieving another key development goal: girls' and women's empowerment. As the International Conference on Population and Development programme of action states: "Education is one of the most important means of empowering women with the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process."

However, experience has shown that the relationship between education and empowerment is not as simple as it may first appear; while education is undoubtedly a key element contributing to empowerment, the two do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Many educational programmes will focus on students' acquisition of formal knowledge and training, and will often equip them with the technical skills necessary to take up paid employment in a specific sector. For adolescent girls, this can mean being formally trained in an activity traditionally seen as "women's work", such as sewing, the small-scale production and commercialisation of food products, artisanal production or secretarial skills for the more literate.

While it is often important that girls receive this vocational training as part of their education, a more holistic approach that places a strong emphasis on enabling girls to develop a wider awareness of themselves and the external context in which they live is also vital. Having the opportunity to develop an awareness of their own social situation, as well as to gain confidence and self-esteem, means not only that girls are in a better position to deal with the multiple challenges that entry into the labour market can pose, but also are increasingly empowered to define and act upon their ambitions.

The importance of developing girls' ability to reflect on their own reality, to develop self-awareness and to build self-esteem has been recognised by the Burkina Faso branch of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (Fawe), an organisation that works to promote gender equality and education across Africa. One of the projects run by Fawe Burkina in Ouagadougou, the resource and training centre, offers training to adolescent girls from underprivileged backgrounds, who generally have a low level of formal education.

At the centre the girls primarily receive training in income-generating activities such as sewing, weaving and soap-making, as well as in non-traditional activities such as plumbing and mechanics. To complement this, they also participate in life skills and awareness-raising workshops, which include children's and women's rights, as well as on reproductive health and - importantly for their chances of being engaged in remunerated activity - basic maths and French language courses.

Earlier this year the manager of the centre, Absétou Lamizana, decided to further expand the life-skills element of the training programme, in response to an increasing recognition of the importance of self-esteem for the personal and professional development of the trainees. She explained: "Lack of ambition, of self-confidence and self-esteem are challenges faced by the girls, and are linked to a deeply-rooted culture of gender inequality and traditional attitudes towards the role of girls and women. This creates an atmosphere in which they have very little confidence in themselves and underestimate their capacities."

A partnership was developed with another local NGO, Génération Butterfly, which designed a workshop series tailored to the situation of the girls enrolled at the centre. Ibrahim Kaboré, the director of Génération Butterfly, noted that the trainees are also deeply affected by their less privileged socio-economic background, viewing themselves as inferior to other adolescents of their age, which results in an inability to value themselves and the products of their work. "Our self-esteem workshops help them to free themselves from their past and think more about what they are going to do today so that tomorrow can be better. Somebody who does not have confidence in themselves cannot easily act to improve their future," he said.

During the workshops another important element was revealed, which can be seen as a misunderstanding about the role of NGOs vis-à-vis the lives of adolescents from less privileged backgrounds. "It became clear that those living in poverty had become accustomed to a culture of receiving free services, which meant that the girls sometimes engaged in training because they felt it was expected of them, rather than because they were personally motivated to change their lives by learning professional skills. They saw their enrolment at the centre as a consequence of being poor, and this was also damaging to their self-esteem."

It is not easy to overcome the effects of a lifetime of poverty and marginalisation. Despite this, Fawe Burkina are committed to working to further develop holistic "life skills" training, which aims to ensure that on completion of the programme trainees are in a stronger position to make informed choices about their lives and act on previously unthinkable ambitions.

While it is important not to lose sight of the huge challenges many will face while trying to become engaged in economic activity, leaving the centre with a reinforced self-belief means they have already overcome a huge hurdle. As a result, they will be better able to control their own destinies and participate more meaningfully in development - an aspiration for the adolescent girls leaving the centre and development practitioners alike, and which is firmly rooted in the notion of empowerment.

Lamizana summed up this approach: "In our view, education must be reinforced by the development of self-esteem to lift girls from the status of inferiority in which society confines them. Similarly, without education and without self-esteem there cannot be empowerment. All of these elements go together."
Abigail Hunt was gender adviser at the This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the Global Development Professionals Network. Secrétariat permanent des organisations non gouvernementales, an umbrella body of national and international NGOs working in Burkina Faso. She takes up a post at a UK NGO this month and tweets as @abiehunt. Topics

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adolescent girls - global development professionals network

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Education and empowerment: you're nobody until somebody trains you

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Improving girls' access to education has been on the mainstream development agenda for some time, largely because of the poverty reduction potential that education offers through increasing access to economic opportunity. The long-term positive effects of education for the individual, family and wider society have also been recognised.

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Why Malala Education Fight Matters: 7 Alarming Facts That Will Anger And Move You (WHAT YOU CAN DO)

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Why Malala Education Fight Matters: 7 Alarming Facts That Will Anger And Move You (WHAT YOU CAN DO)

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The Huffington Post

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Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old indefatigable advocate who was shot in the head by the Taliban, delivered a stirring speech at the United Nations on Friday -- a message that will pave the way for her continued fight to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to learn.

The budding activist focused her talk on the power of education, playing particularly close attention to the needs of women and girls -- the ones who are "suffering the most."

To finally put an end to terrorism and suppression and allow for peace and empowerment of women and girls, the strongest "weapon" we have, according to Malala, is the book and the pen, which she wants put in the hands of every child across the globe.

"Let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens," she said in her UN address. "One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world."

But the war Malala and her supporters are tirelessly waging isn't just about making more classrooms accessible. It's about breaking down cultural barriers, fighting inhumane practices and improving the health and well being of women and girls everywhere so that they can be liberated and prepared to carve out an enlightened future.
Read through the 7 alarming education facts and find out how you can help. 31 million girls worldwide are out of school. 7 million cases of HIV could be prevented in the next decade if every child receives an education. A child born to a mother who can read is 50 percent more likely to survive past age 5. Each extra year of a mother's schooling reduces the probability of infant mortality by 5 percent to 10 percent. 215 million kids are involved in child labor, which deprives them of an education. Two-thirds of the world's 880 million illiterate adults are women. Every day, 39,000 girls younger than 18 get married. For them, education is freedom. To join Malala's fight in making education accessible across the globe, consider getting involved in her campaign and with a number of other worthy causes working on empowering women and girls.

Girl Up, a United Nations-sponsored fundraising and awareness campaign, aims to support adolescent girls with health care, safety, and education initiatives. Learn more about the program and how to get involved here.

Lotus Outreach aims to rehabilitate -- and empower -- exploited women, children and survivors of trafficking through a number of initiatives that offer education and counseling, among other critical programs. Learn how you can get involved here.

The Varkey GEMS Foundation is dedicated to raising funds, offering scholarships, and building schools to help educate underprivileged children all over the world. Learn more about the organization's efforts here.

The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative works globally to mobilize political and social action for improving the quality of education for girls. Find out more about the organization here.

Among its wide range of global initiatives, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works to deliver healthcare and family planning support to developing countries. To learn more about the foundation and how to get involved here.

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Why Malala Matters: 7 Education Facts That Will Anger, Move You

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Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old indefatigable advocate who was shot in the head by the Taliban, delivered a stirring speech at the United Nations on Friday -- a message that will pave the way for her continued fight to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to learn.

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ActionAid: Μαθητικές Δράσεις

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ActionAid: Μαθητικές Δράσεις

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Δες τι έγινε

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Interactive Infographic

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ActionAid programme

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BBC News Asia

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The plight of a Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban has highlighted the dangers pupils face in trying to get an education there, with militants continuing to target schools.

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Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teen shot by Taliban, back at school

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Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani teen shot by Taliban, back at school

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ECNAT Report: Closing the Trained Teacher Gap

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ECNAT Report: Closing the Trained Teacher Gap

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The E2 pupils' work for GAW 2013

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5th grade primary

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5th grade primary

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