UNdaunted: Educating Girls with Disabilities in Somalia

This project aims to remove barriers to girls’ education in Somalia particularly those with disabilities. It builds on the positive experience of Canadian philanthropic engagement via UNICEF Canada’s UNdaunted Initiative already established in Sub-Saharan Africa. This project works to improve learning outcomes for girls including those with disabilities by increasing their equitable access to safe quality inclusive education within an education system that recognizes their needs and provides innovative and quality gender-responsive formal and non-formal education. The project aims to target 156 schools in up to 20 districts of the Federal Government of Somalia and Federal Member States: the Puntland State of Somalia and Somaliland. Project activities include: (1) facilitating public awareness around disability and gender issues through activities such as community outreach and providing training to education stakeholders on developing policies on the protection of girls from gender-based violence in schools and to foster safe learning spaces; and (2) providing technical assistance to Ministries of Education and educational officials to strengthen capacity on data collection as well as to integrate adolescent girls with disabilities into their education systems. This project is expected to reach 22 500 girls including 7 500 girls with disabilities in the formal and informal education systems. The project is also expected to benefit 1 248 teachers; 1 092 members of community education committees; and 70 government officials.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased equitable access to safe quality inclusive education and learning by girls including those with disabilities; and (2) improved equitable and coordinated provision of innovative safe quality gender-responsive and evidence-based formal and non-formal education for girls with disabilities.