Project Profile

Geographic Scope

Practices

Contracting Vehicle

Safe Schools Program

United States Agency for International Development [USAID] (2003–2008)

The Safe Schools Program was a five-year program to create gender-safe environments for girls and boys and promote gender-equitable relationships within schools in Malawi and Ghana. This pioneering, evidence-based initiative was designed to reduce school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), improve educational outcomes, and reduce negative health outcomes. Program interventions were implemented in schools in the two countries and focused on students ranging in age from approximately 10–14.

USAID funded the development of Safe Schools in response to a demonstrated need, and DevTech managed the program. Initial research on SRGBV was conducted in four countries (Ghana, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Jamaica), and the countries selected for the pilot program were Ghana and Malawi. In both countries, DevTech fully collaborated with civil society and community organizations to develop an integrated and comprehensive approach to reducing SRGBV that they owned. The final product is a series of three global Doorways training manuals (students, community counselors, and teachers) and country-specific materials still in use.

Safe Schools is evidence of the benefit of using evidence-based, collaborative approaches and DevTech's dedication to true capacity-building. DevTech is proud that other organizations are using these materials developed with American taxpayer money to reduce gender-based violence in schools.

Save the Children, Plan International, and the Malawian YouthNet and Counselling (YONECO) are among several international organizations that have adopted and implemented the Safe Schools training materials to continue to address school violence in Malawi, and in programs in other countries, including Haiti and Senegal.

In addition, USAID has translated the Safe Schools training materials into Arabic, Russian, French, and Spanish, and has posted them on its website.

The manuals and other interventions have been used throughout the program at each of the following levels:

Individual level

The Doorways Student Training Manual utilizes a children's rights and gender approach to teaching children about appropriate gender relations. Based on the results of the program endline survey, the piloting of the manual was successful at increasing students’ knowledge of, and changing their attitudes regarding, SRGBV. The classroom program was complemented with additional interventions such as theater for development, radio, gender clubs, after-school programs, and assemblies. An excellent example of the children applying what they learned can be viewed on a video entitled: Mister Speaker, Sir.

Community level

The Doorways Community Counselors Training Manual provides resources at the community level to identify and refer cases of school-related gender-based violence to service providers.

Institutional level

The Doorways Teachers Training Manual provides training for education professionals on SRGBV awareness, prevention, reporting, and referral. The program endline survey confirmed that after receiving the training, teachers had changed their attitudes about their role in preventing SRGBV and how to apply the Teachers' Code of Conduct. In addition, improved and consolidated Codes of Conduct were developed in both pilot countries by the respective teachers' unions and education ministries.

National level

An Advocates Network was formed to raise awareness of SRGBV among key stakeholders and government officials. Also, a series of campaign posters was developed in each country.

Publications