|
|
|
| |
What is the AMBASSADORS GIRLS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ?
Girls account for over half of the 38 million children in Africa who do not attend school because of economic hardship or other adverse circumstances. As announced by President Bush, the Ambassadors Girls’ Scholarship Program (AGSP) under the Africa Education Initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide 550,000 scholarships to school children, mostly girls, in sub-Saharan Africa. The AGSP includes mentoring programs for the children, which contribute to the social and educational development of students and communities, as well as HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness activities.
How does AGSP help? While the benefits of education have been clearly documented, many girls simply cannot overcome significant hurdles in accessing education or continuing their studies without external assistance. Among the most common barriers for girls are the cost of school fees, the expense of purchasing uniforms and books (or the stigma of attending class without the appropriate clothing and supplies), the cost of public transportation, and the lack of breakfast and/or lunch during the day.
The program is tailored to meet the needs of the girls in each country. By paying tuition (where it is charged) and providing uniforms, books, school supplies and other necessities, AGSP frees girls and their families from the burden of worrying about the cost of obtaining an education. Mentors impart life skills, teach girls how to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on their lives, and encourage scholars to attend school regularly, study hard, and stay focused and healthy. AGSP also raises awareness in communities about the importance of girls’ education...more.
Where is AEI-AGSP implemented, and what organizations are involved?
Girls (and now boys) in forty countries across the continent participate in the AGSP under the management of several American organizations. Weidemann Associates supported Winrock International in this capacity from September 2004 through November, 2008. Weidemann Associates created and maintained the Online Reporting Mechanism (ORM) which tracked the progress of more than 30,000 scholars over the first four years of the AGSP. Additionally, the Weidemann team offered training and support to local partners as they learned to how to input information about scholars and schools into the ORM.
 |
Photo Gallery of AEI-AGSP Partners.
Many girls on the island of Sao Tome come from fishing families who live quite modestly, and often must migrate to follow
the seasonal fishing patterns. The AGSP scholarships provide essential support to keep girls in school... more.
Credit: Winrock International. 2006
|
Gender and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa
In a region ravaged by HIV/AIDS, girls are often pulled out of school to care for dying parents and manage household chores such as cooking, laundering clothes, and taking care of younger siblings. Once orphaned, few girls can return to school without a scholarship. Often girls become surrogate parents living in child-headed households, or are cared for by grandparents or extended family members with insufficient resources to support the continuation of their education. Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rates range from 0.5% in Madagascar to a tragic 32.4% in Swaziland (the highest prevalence rates in the world). South Africa, with a prevalence rate of 18.6%, has the largest number of people who are HIV+ in Africa...
more.
Mentoring Young African Girls
In the challenging environments in the Southern African region, a scholarship alone cannot always ensure that a girl will succeed in school. Members of the community and parents must support and encourage girls to stay in school, advocating for them and making sure that schools are responsive to their needs. The reality of the HIV/AIDS pandemic must be confronted head-on, and girls must be given the knowledge and confidence to protect themselves. One of the ways of creating an enabling environment for the girls is through mentoring programs that complement the financial assistance the girls receive...
More.
|
|
|
