Empowering Girls Through Education and Health (ASPIRE)

Empowering Girls Through Education and Health (ASPIRE) is a four-year US$ 18.2 million USAID activity aimed at increasing the educational attainment of girls in primary and secondary schools in Balaka, Machinga and Zomba districts in Malawi, reaching 182,000 girls.

The Girls’ Empowerment through Education and Health Activity (ASPIRE) will improve reading skills for girls in upper primary school so they have the foundation of reading to be able to succeed in secondary school. ASPIRE’s focus on reading is a continuation of what the Early Grade Reading Activity is already doing in lower primary school. ASPIRE will focus on all primary and secondary schools in Balaka and Machinga districts which are two of USAID/Malawi’s focus districts under its Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). Interventions will achieve the following outputs:

Reading skills for girls in upper primary school improved;
Adoption of positive sexual and health-care seeking behaviors, and social norms among youth ages 10-19 increased; and
Key structural and cultural barriers for girls’ access to schooling decreased. Implemented together, the three Outputs [improved reading skills (Output 1) supported by increased sexual and health seeking behaviors (Output 2) and decreased structural and cultural barriers to girls’ education through community support and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions at schools (Output 3)] will lead to improved achievement of girls in upper primary and secondary school

Activity Description

ASPIRE plans io increase access to and retention of girls in school and adoption of healthy behaviors, it is imperative that communities support girls to develop and achieve educational goals. The recipient should foster school and community structures that look after the welfare of girls and advocate for community action in support of keeping girls in school and their learning. School structures should include WASH provisions to provide private spaces for girls who are menstruating. Community structures should receive programmatic and organizational capacity building provisions to ensure sustainability and future growth in this important area.

Expected Outcomes

ASPRIE expects to increase:

Reading skills for girls in upper primary school improved.
Adoption of positive sexual and health-care seeking behaviors among youth ages 10-19 increased.
Key structural and cultural barriers for girls ages 10-19 decreased.