ISHRAQ..

Safe Spaces for Girls to Learn, Play and Grow

Target Group

Primary Target Group:Rural out-of-school adolescent girls aged 11-15 years

Secondary Target Group:• Girls’ parents• Girls’ brothers• Community leaders

Problem Magnitude

• Egypt: females enrolled in primary school: 89.9%females enrolled in preparatory school: 89.1%

Minya: females enrolled in primary school: 77.5%females enrolled in preparatory school: 61%*

• 54% of rural Upper Egyptian girls (13-15) are not enrolled in basic education as opposed to 11% boys**

• Rural girls are less likely to acquire basic literacy skills and have restricted mobility and limited social networks

• This hard-to-reach group suffers from poor health and malnutrition and are at risk of early marriage

____________* Human Development Indicators. UNDP. 2003.** Egypt Demographic and Health Survey. 2000.

Project Goal and Objectives

Goal: To improve and positively influence the quality of life of

current and future generations of rural adolescent girls

Objectives:• Create safe public spaces for girls to learn and play• Increase girls’ self expression and sense of agency• Mainstream girls back into formal schooling• Advocate for positive community norms concerning

girls• Encourage policy and institutional structures that

support girls

Partners

Ishraq

NCCM

MOYS

Save the Children

MOE

POP Council

CARITAS EGYPTCEDPA

Strategies/Interventions

• Provide programmatic opportunities in safe spaces (youth clubs) through a holistic program that provides: literacy skills, life skills, reproductive health information, sports and recreational activities.

• Undertake a community-mobilization dialogue approach to support girls’ access to the services

• Undertake a local and national advocacy approach to adopt girl-friendly policies

Current and Future Situations

• Phase 1 Pilot Project (from 2001 to 2004)4 villages in MinyaTarget: (enrolled: 200; passed: 165; enrolled in basic

education: 60)

• Currently (from Oct. 2004 for 3 years)6 villages in MinyaTarget: 300 girls

• Future: 2 new governorates Target: 6000 girls

Sustainability

For long-term sustainability, Ishraqtargets youth clubs and NGOs to build their capacity to advocate for and disseminate the experience in all Upper Egypt.

Quotes from Participants

• “When an illiterate woman gets married to a mid-level educated man, he feels superiority and humiliates her. He cannot do this if the woman is equally educated.”

(Nora, 19 years old)

• “Before Ishraq, I did not even know anything about my body. I had no right to say no. Now I know I even have the right to choose my husband.”

(Iman, 17 years old)

..One of the largest Microfinance Programs

serving women’s small and micro enterprises

in Egypt

AL-TADAMUN..

Group Guaranteed Lending and Savings (GGLS)

Increasing the income of women micro-entrepreneurs in poor neighborhoods by providing sustainable financial services

• GGLS (pilot) started September 1996. Save the Children in conjunction with the Women’s Health Improvement Association (WHIA).

• Abdeen, Imbaba and Dar El-Salam.

• All the branches merged into the fully autonomous and sustainable program of Al-Tadamun (Solidarity) under the umbrella of WHIA (July 2003)

Target and Capital

• Target group: Women in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Cairo

• Total Clients/Groups Served: 48,152/6,019

• Active Clients/Groups: 9,727/1,386

• Total capacity: $US 929,926

Al-Tadamun Loan Term

Initial Loan Size/client LE 500 ($ 87)Optional Initial Loan Size/Client LE 250 ($44)Group Size 5-15 WomenLoan Term 24-40 WeeksRepayment Frequency Bi-weeklyLoan Increases Stepped 25-50%Interest Rate 2.3% Flat/Month

Current and Future Beneficiaries

Future (2008)Current Area

4,0464,079Imbaba

2,6612,982Dar El-Salam

2,9512,666Abdeen

2,9780Boulaq

2,3210Basateen

14,9579,727Total

Thank You