The project buys a lamb & school materials for a girl's first year of school. Parents raise & sell the lamb, & purchase a new lamb each year thereafter to pay for their daughters' school needs the following 12 years of school. Through this self-help and sustainable strategy, an initial $80 donation (investment) sends a girl through 13 years of primary - secondary school. 84% of girls enrolled in school through this project have passed national year end exams vs. 64% of students in the region.
In rural northern Burkina Faso, less than 20% of girls go to school. Since 2007, Assn NEEED (a local NGO) has enrolled girls from 204 villages into primary school with GlobalGiving donor support. In 2016, the project had responded to nearly all then-interested villages & ceased fundraising. Because of the academic success of these girls, however, in the past six months, NEEED has received requests for assistance from 14 new villages to enable the enrollment of 200 girls into primary school.
NEEED works with village leaders & families to identify 6 year old girls; provides a lamb & school materials for each girl's first year of school; & involves parents in the raising, selling and purchasing of a new lamb each year & buying their daughters' school materials for the following year. The project aims to raise significantly access to education for young village girls in the region. The current demand by new villages is proof of villagers' growing commitment to girls' education.
At least 80% of girls will achieve 13 years of education, leading to improved child health, lower fertility rates, higher education levels in the next generation & more effective participation in civil society & the economy. Girls enrolled in school through this project have excelled far beyond their peers in secondary school & many have qualified for scholarships for postsecondary training/education. All it took was an initial investment of $80 & the girls & their parents took it from there.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
