UN Joint Programme on Girls’ Education II: Poverty Reduction through improved Quality Education and Basic life skills for in and Out of School Adolescent Girls in Malawi UNICEF, WFP and UNFPA | Proposal to RNE COVER PAGE Project Title Poverty reduction through improved quality education and basic life skills for in and out of school adolescent girls in Malawi. Organization Name UNICEF,UNFPA,WFP, RCO Contact Persons Mr. J. Wedenig (UNICEF Country Representative) Dr. D. Odallo ( UNFPA Country Representative) Mr. B. Thiry ( WFP Country Representative) Project Goal Poverty reduction through improved quality education for adolescent girls in Mangochi, Dedza and Salima districts Location Mangochi, Salima and Dedza districts, Malawi. Project Duration 3 years (2017-2020) Implementing Government of Malawi in collaboration with UNICEF, WFP and Partners UNFPA Total budget: Norway Contribution NOK 155 million UN Agencies Contribution 3 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AGYW Adolescent Girls and Young Women ASRH Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health CBDA Community Based Distribution Agents CFS Child Friendly Schools CPD Continuous Professional Development CSE Comprehensive Sexuality Education CVSU Community Victim Support Units DaO Delivering as One DCC District Coordinating Committee DEC District Executive Council DEM District Education Manager EMIS Education Management Information Systems FO Farmers Organizations GBV Gender Based Violence GRR Girls Resource Centre HGSF Home Grown School Feeding HIV Human Immuno Virus HSAs Health Surveillance Assistants ICT Information Communication Technology IHS Integrated Household Survey JPAG Joint Programme on Adolescent Girls JPGE: Joint Programme on Girls Education KGIS Keeping Girls in School LOE Level of Effort LSE Life Skills Education MDG Millennium Development Goals MDHS Malawi Demographic and Health Survey MGDS Malawi Growth and Development Strategy MOEST Ministry of Education, Science and Technology MTR Mid-Term Review NER Net Enrolment Ratio NESP National Education Sector Plan NSSP National Social Support Policy OSC Out of School Children OVC Orphaned and Vulnerable Children P4P Purchase for Progress PCC Parent Child Communication PCU Programme Coordinating Unit PLWHIV People Living with HIV AIDS PTA Parent Teachers Association PSIP Primary School Improvement Programme SIP School Improvement Plan SMC School Management Committee SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights TDC Teacher Development Centre TFR Total Fertility Rate THR Take Home Rations 4 TOT Training of Trainers TRC Teacher Development Centre TWG Technical Working Group UN United Nations UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNICEF United Nations Children’s’ Fund WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WFP World Food Programme YFHS Youth Friendly Health Services 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover page ................................................................................................................................. ii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................. 4 Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 6 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................... 8 2 BACKGROUND and rationale........................................................................................ 10 2.1 The national context .................................................................................................. 10 3 LESSONS LEARNT FROM JPGE I AND JPAG .......................................................... 13 3.1 The UN Delivering as one ......................................................................................... 13 3.2 Working with community members .......................................................................... 13 3.3 Strong government involvement in programme implementation and coordination . 14 4 JUSTIFICATION ............................................................................................................ 14 5 SUSTAINABILITY ......................................................................................................... 15 6 APPROACH .................................................................................................................... 16 7 INNOVATIONS .............................................................................................................. 18 8 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT ....................................................................................... 19 9 OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND RATIONALE ...................................................... 19 10 DESCRIPTION OF OUTCOME AREAS....................................................................... 22 10.1 Adolescent girls and boys acquire foundational learning, and life skills in an all- inclusive and gender sensitive environment ........................................................................ 23 10.1.1 Output 1: Enhanced literacy, numeracy, life skills in a gender/inclusive learning environment. ...................................................................................................... 24 10.1.2 Output 2: Enhanced optimal learning environment provided for boys and girls 25 10.2 Outcome 2: Enhanced access to diversified nutritious meals by boys and girls in targeted schools. ................................................................................................................... 26 10.3 Outcome 3: Adolescent Girls and boys in the targeted schools and out of school have access to SRH information .......................................................................................... 29 10.4 Outcome 4: Reduced violence against girls in primary schools ........................... 32 10.5 Outcome 5: Parents and local community engage in education. ........................... 33 10.6 Outcome 6: Adolescent girls out of school acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills 35 10.7 Outcome 7: Out of school adolescent girls acquire SRH and life skills. ............... 35 10.8 Outcome 8: Adolescent girls out of school acquire basic livelihood skills. ......... 37 10.9 Outcome 9: Government district and national level staff acquire coordination, networking, programme design and implementation skills ................................................. 38 11 PROGRAMME THEORY OF CHANGE ....................................................................... 38 12 MONITORING AND EVALUATION ........................................................................... 40 12.1 Baseline study ........................................................................................................ 40 6 12.2 Midterm review ..................................................................................................... 40 12.3 End of programme evaluation and report .............................................................. 40 12.4 Programme Reporting............................................................................................ 41 13 PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT .................................................................................. 41 13.1 National Coordinating Unit ................................................................................... 41 13.2 Implementing partners ........................................................................................... 43 14 ASSUMPTIONS AND RISK MANAGEMENT ............................................................ 46 14.1 Assumptions and Risks .......................................................................................... 46 14.2 Risk Management .................................................................................................. 46 14.2.1 Managing cross sectoral project Environment Risks ......................................... 47 15 PROJECT STAFF ............................................................................................................ 49 16 PROGRAMME BUDGET............................................................................................... 51 16.0 LIST OF APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 52 a. Annex 1: Programme Theory of Change ........................................................ 52 b. Annex 2: Risk Analysis by Outcome ................................................................ 54 c. Annex 3: JPGE Phase II Summary budget ........................................................ 62 d. Annex 4: Higher level Results Framework .................................................... 65 e. Annex 5: Consolidated key deliverables matrix by outcome ......................... 80 7 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Problem Education of adolescent girls and boys but more so for girls, is one of the best investments one can make, to ensure positive impacts in multiple development areas in Malawi. It can help reduce poverty, slow down population growth and allow women to play a more active role in the political and economic spheres and in the development of their own society. Research has shown that for each additional year of schooling, a girl in a low-income country will increase her future income by 10−20 per cent (Hanushek, EA et al., 2011). Countries with greater gender equality and fewer gender differences in the primary and secondary schools are more likely to have higher economic growth. The purpose of the JPGE phase two programme is to strengthen and consolidate the gains made in phase one through providing a holistic and human rights based programme using the ‘whole school approach’ which aims at poverty reduction through improved quality education for adolescent girls in Mangochi, Dedza and Salima districts in Malawi. The programme addresses education, nutrition and ASRH concerns of adolescents in a holistic manner; by also addressing other concerns such as social position, gender equality and gender based violence as well as assistance in developing life skills. The programme will focus on strengthening systems that support girls education and health while in and out of school in a holistic manner. Solution Overall Goal and Strategic Objectives The overall goal of the programme is poverty reduction through improved quality of education for adolescent girls in Mangochi, Dedza and Salima districts. This will be achieved through three strategic objectives, which include: 1) Ensuring that adolescent girls remain and complete primary school education leading to transition to secondary schools. 2) Out of school adolescent girls acquire basic life skills to allow them to tackle adult life and; 3) Strengthening government structures at district and national levels to effectively design implement and monitor girls’ education programs. The current proposal is a scale up of the previous JPAG and JPGE programmes which were successfully implemented by UN organisations from 2011 – 2014 (Phase I JPAG); 2016 (JPAG Bridging programme) and 2014 – 2017 (JPGE Phase I). Phase 1 of the JPGE was implemented in a total of 81 schools in the three districts. In this programme, it is being proposed and recommended that the programme be scaled up to 88 new schools, in the same three districts, in addition to the 81 schools, which were in the JPGE phase one programme. The 88 new schools are currently on WFP centralised school feeding programme that provides corn soya blend+ super-cereal porridge to all learners. Using the WFP supported 88 schools will provide a systematised way of upscaling the whole package including school meals, safe schools, SRHR services, effective teaching and learning as well as an engaged and supportive community. The 81 existing schools will seek to improve on quality of delivery of interventions and systems strengthening while at the same time acting as learning points for the 88 new schools. Additionally, the programme will embark on a ‘whole-district approach’ through a Training of Trainer model for the district stakeholders to upscale the programme to the remaining 492 schools in 8 the district. The approach will ensure quality and wider coverage of interventions in the three districts building on synergies with other existing programs with stronger coordination of development partners at national and district level. Figure 1: JPGE Scale Up strategy 81+88 modelling schools Whole district coverage National Adoption The national uptake of the JPGE model will include support to strengthened coordination by the MOEST through supporting a full time secretariat to anchor JPGE within the MoEST and other line ministries, ensure advocacy for JPGE to be anchored in a policy supported mechanism and for JPGE results and model to be reported as part of the sector wide results. The secretariat will also be supported to ensure JPGE is visible and gains high-level advocacy through the Inter-ministerial committee under the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) strategy for national uptake by government and other development partners. Programme Theory of Change To achieve the overarching goal of the programme, it is envisaged that the new programme will focus on three key strategic objectives with nine complementary outcome/thematic service package areas. The first strategic objective is to ensure that adolescent girls remain and complete primary school, achieve minimum competencies for life-long learning and transition to secondary education. The five outcome package areas will include: i) adolescent girls and boys acquire foundation skills, life skills and are retained in an all-inclusive and gender sensitive environments, ii) providing diversified school meals, iii) provision of SRHR services while ensuring that; iv) schools are safe from violence, and that (v) communities are supportive and engaged in promoting girls’ education. The second strategic objective will focus on out of school youths, to ensure that they acquire basic life skills to allow them to tackle adult life through increased abilities to access SRHR information and services; make informed decisions for second chance education; and skills development. It comprises of three outcome packages that will include: i) providing basic 9 numeracy and literacy skills with a focus on functional skills, ii) life skills including SRH as well as iii) vocational skills. The third strategic objective will focus on strengthening government structures at national and district levels to effectively, design, implement and monitor girls’ education programs in Malawi. This will entail strengthening of government coordination structures, high-level advocacy for girls’ education for improved coordination; policy and legal framework for improved quality education. It is envisaged that implementation of interventions under the three strategic objectives will improve access and quality of education for girls evidenced through improved primary school completion rates and transition to secondary school in the targeted districts with a broader goal to reduce poverty. A schematic TOC is provided as Annex 1. 2 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE 2.1 The national context Over the last decade, Malawi’s education sector has registered notable progress with its primary net enrolment rate (NER) almost at 100; however, the sector continues to be characterised with quality-related challenges. For instance, survival rate to grade 5 is at 60% for boys and 62% for girls, however, primary completion rate for boys is at 55%, and 47% for girls respectively. The SACMEQ IV results show Malawi continues to struggle with poor learning outcomes with majority of learners below basic numeracy and literacy level (SACMEQ, 2017). Despite major progress in increasing the number of girls who attend primary school, girls in Malawi continue to be disadvantaged, particularly in terms of their access to secondary school and in their educational outcomes. Both boys and girls have high levels of grade repetition and school dropout, and often commence school later than the official starting age of six years. Pupil-qualified teacher ratio remains at 80:1, which is higher than the recommended (60) in the National Education Sector Plan. In 2016, pupil-permanent classroom ratio did not experience any improvement; it remained very high at 116 indicating that many pupils are learning from open spaces or in congested classes, (EMIS 2016 Report). Gender based violence also contributes to poor education indicators, especially for girls. For instance, in 20I4 it was established that more than 20% of girls experience sexual abuse before the age of 18, and half of them before they attain their thirteenth birthday (Malawi Government 2014). Particularly, a third of all 13-17 year olds who had experienced sexual abuse reported that the abuser was a classmate or schoolmate, with between 10-20% of all 1 reported sexual abuse incidents occurring at school . Earlier on, the NSO 2012 Gender Based Violence (GBV) baseline survey reported higher figures; 26% of rape and defilement cases, 23% of cases of unwanted sexual touching, and 17% of cases of unpleasant remarks and sexual harassment were reported to have taken place in schools (NSO 2012). Limited access to age appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and services amongst adolescent girls and boys is another contributing factor to poor education indicators as it fuels school dropout rate especially for girls due to unwanted pregnancies and early marriages. Early sexual activity is high in Malawi with approximately 13% and 19% of girls and boys respectively experiencing sexual intercourse before the age of 15 (MDHS 2015-16). 1 Malawi Government, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Violence Against Children survey, 2014. 10