FAWE/Mastercard Foundation Medium Term Review

MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM MID–TERM REVIEW LEARNING BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2020 THE FORUM FOR AFRICAN WOMEN EDUCATIONALISTS

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THE BACKGROUND THE FAWE EVALUATION JOURNEY

ABOUT THE FAWE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM

This Learning Brief is drawn from a mid term review (MTR) commissioned in 2019 by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), in consultation with Mastercard Foundation, which marked the 7th year of the 10-year program. The evaluation was conducted by Genesis Analytics to reflect on the overall program – both its successes and opportunities to better support Scholars going forward. The evaluation integrated perspectives from Scholars and alumni, FAWE Program staff, and other relevant stakeholders. It also drew insights from key documents

The FAWE Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is being implemented in Rwanda and Ethiopia over a 10-year period with funding from Mastercard Foundation.

This Learning Brief is not meant to summarize findings, but to highlight a number of promising practices and areas for future growth.

ABOUT FAWE FAWE is a pan-African non-governmental organization founded in 1992 by five women ministers of education to empower girls and women through gender-responsive education in sub-Saharan Africa. The organization’s members include female ministers of education, university vice-chancellors, education policymakers, researchers, gender specialists and human rights activists. FAWE is a network of 34 National Chapters in 33 countries and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

FAWE's vision is a just and inclusive society in which all African girls and women have access to quality education and training to achieve their full potential.

FAWE's mission is to promote gender responsive policies, practices and attitudes and foster innovations that will provide opportunities for African girls and women to prosper in all realms of their lives.

Since 2003, with funding from numerous partners, FAWE has supported more than 46,000 girls across the continent to access quality education and complete school through a range of gender-responsive tools, policies, practices, and strategies – including scholarships and partnerships.

In partnership with Mastercard Foundation, FAWE is currently implementing a Program aimed at supporting 1,800 girls and 200 boys through comprehensive scholarships in Rwanda and Ethiopia.

The Program is aimed at providing academically talented, financially disadvantaged young people with access to high-quality, relevant secondary and tertiary education. Students selected for the Program receive a holistic set of financial, social, and academic support throughout their education and during their post-graduate transitions to work or further training. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is made up of a global network of educational institutions and non-profit organizations, who together believe that education is a catalyst for social and economic betterment. The program was initiated in 2013 and is currently in its 8th year of implementation.

The principal goal of the FAWE-Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is to provide quality education to 2,000 girls and boys at tertiary and secondary school level and provide them with necessary support to acquire essential knowledge and skills that enable them to improve their livelihoods and contribute to household, community and national development.

In Rwanda, FAWE enabled 1200 girls to access quality secondary education in 17 schools through scholarship. The program has a 98% retention rate and 70% of graduates have transitioned to tertiary education – primarily at the University of Rwanda or INES - Ruhengeri University.

In Ethiopia, 800 (534 girls and 266 boys) Scholars have been placed in 8 secondary schools located in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region. To date, 220 have completed their studies.

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Established in 2013

Rwanda and Ethiopia

2000 scholarships given to girls and boys. With 2/3 being girls

70% of Rwandan Scholars receive Tertiary Scholarships

4 SCHOLARS PROGRAM PILLARS AT FAWE The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is structured around 4 pillars: Recruit, Educate, Prepare, and Transition. In the FAWE Scholars Program, these pillars include the following activities:

01.

RECRUIT

02.

EDUCATE

03.

PREPARE

04.

TRANSITION

Inclusive, transparent selection process (Selection Technical Committee)

Gender Responsive Pedagogy and Academic Tutorials

Tuseme Clubs, Mentorship and mentor conventions, Give-back and leadership

Bootcamps and Alumni networks

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INSIGHTS FROM THE MID TERM REVIEW ACCORDING TO THE MID TERM REVIEW FAWE SCHOLARS ARE . . .

03. LEADERS

01. ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL

In both Ethiopia and Rwanda, Scholars have consistently taken on leadership roles within their schools.

Scholars are regularly at the top of their classes and perform very well in national exams. The presence of Scholars in classes helps to challenge other students in the school, contributing to a culture of healthy competition and improving overall school performance.

02. HIGHLY SATISFIED Scholars shared that the program was very beneficial

to their lives. They felt that the program had a major impact on the quality of their education, improved their confidence, and gave them a sense of success in their future.

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FAWE’S HOLISTIC PROGRAMING IS A STRENGTH The strength of the FAWE Scholars model is in holistic support for young people that acknowledge the unique challenges girls and economically disadvantaged young people face in learning.

01. TUSEME CLUBS TUSEME is a Kiswahili word for “Let us speak out”.

Tuseme Clubs are based on a student-centered empowerment model that uses theatre-for-development techniques to identify and address concerns that hinder girls’ social and academic development.

Through the clubs, girls develop action plans to solve their problems, involving the support of peers, educators, parents, and community members. Clubs have also been successful in engaging boys in advancing gender equality.

In Rwanda, the Clubs have very high participation and, in many cases, have been made into a permanent extra-curricular activity for all students, because of their proven benefits to students, the school, and the wider community. In fact, they were one of main vehicles for Give Back activities.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars shared that they were highly satisfied with Tuseme Clubs and the Clubs’ focus on guidance and leadership, theatre, life skills training, and improving confidence and self-esteem.

In Rwanda, Scholars and school staff reported that the ethos behind the Tuseme Clubs has been entrenched in the Scholars’ community and has had tangible benefits. The Clubs have provided a way for Scholars to connect with one another and understand gender-related issues, which has generated social momentum.

In Ethiopia, Scholars in one Tuseme Club used a play to successfully demonstrate the need for a girls-only bathroom and, as result, obtained funding from World Vision for the project.

02. MENTORSHIP Mentorship is essential to supporting Scholars and ensuring they receive wrap-around support during

Tuseme is a kiswahili word for “Let us speak out”.

their journeys through the program In the FAWE model, teachers and principals volunteer their time to provide this mentorship at the secondary level. At the tertiary level, university staff and peers provide mentorship.

Scholars who were paired with mentors shared that the experience contributed to improving knowledge, building confidence, planning for the future, and understanding leadership as well as their commitment to improving the lives of others.

Mentoring conventions are opportunities for mentors and Scholars from across each country to come together for several days of presentations and networking. Scholars particularly appreciated the opportunity to network with peers.

In the MTR, mentorship emerged as a key area for future improvement, as relying on very busy teachers to volunteer their time may not be a sustainable, consistent model for supporting young people.

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03. THE GENDER RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY IS AT THE HEART OF THE FAWE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION SCHOLARS PROGRAM Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) is the FAWE model for equipping teachers with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to respond to the learning needs of girls and boys through gender-aware classroom practices. The model was developed in 2005 and has been utilized in all of FAWE’s 34 National Chapters. It is one of the main ways that FAWE has impacted the ecosystems it operates in.

01. NATIONAL: FAWE has played a major role in supporting the governments of Rwanda and Ethiopia in adopting gender inclusive educational policies. Program Leaderships have excellent relationships with governments and were influential in bringing about broader teacher training amendments in both countries.

In Ethiopia, the government recognised the benefits of GRP following its successful implementation

by FAWE Ethiopia. Through a collaboration with the national government, GRP methodologies were introduced into teacher training college syllabi. This has resulted in more educators receiving GRP training and demonstrating improved attitudes towards gender equity.

02. INSTITUTIONALLY: In schools where institutional heads or leaders took part in training, components of GRP have been integrated into school programming. For instance, in Ethiopia one school now requires teachers in each department to discuss how they have adapted their teaching to integrate GRP. In some schools, those who received training were inspired to transform school environment to be more inclusive for female students. After completing the training, one school principal in Ethiopia designated funding to build separate bathrooms and changing rooms by gender – something the school had not previously done.

03. COMMUNITIES: Female FAWE Mastercard Foundation Scholars are seen by colleagues, families, and communities as valuable contributors to positive change, which has helped shift perceptions about the education of girls. The Program’s focus on gender has encouraged families to recognize that girls are capable of progressing in their careers and contributing to their families’ economic livelihoods.

The fact that girls are often very successful - at the top of their classes and accepted into university – is a visible reminder that girls can do well in education. For instance, school partners in Ethiopia reported that the number of girls being enrolled in their schools outside of the Scholars Program has increased.

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04. GIVEBACK Community-level involvement is embedded in the FAWE Scholars model. In both countries, community give back activities have been effective and continued beyond the Scholars’ time in school.

“Give-back” is an important part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program experience. FAWE scholars in both countries have engaged in extensive short and long-term give-back activities in their communities, which have generated goodwill towards the Scholars. Through these activities, communities have also been exposed the Program’s focus on gender equity.

Scholars showed a high level of engagement with the give-back ethos and reported seeing major changes in communities because of their activities.

The MTR noted that this level of volunteerism was not typical in Ethiopia and Rwanda, making this commitment to give-back particularly significant.

TRANSITIONS: EVOLVING OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT SCHOLARS Transition support is built into the FAWE Scholars Program model – in particular, supporting secondary-level Scholars to transition to further training. In fact, the transition rate to higher education is currently at 80% and has improved over time.

Overall, scholars expressed satisfaction at the support they received in moving out of secondary school.

01. CAREER GUIDANCE Career counselling was incorporated into the Program from its launch and has been especially important for economically disadvantaged young people who lack social networks to support their future plans. Counselling was seen as most effective for those planning to attend university.

02. BOOTCAMPS GIVE BACK CASE Through providing food and entertainment, the Scholars raised money by fundraising and hosting special events, which allowed them to expand the number of people they were helping.

The local council, inspired by the impact they were making, offered the Scholars a vacant compound that had been given to the city by a Chinese construction company and suggested that the Scholars use it to create an old-age home.

The FAWE Scholars registered as a charity organisation. Those who were not able to transition to university were employed to run the old age home and keep expanding the project’s reach to more vulnerable members of the community.

Bootcamps are two-week intensive Programs for Scholars designed to build technological, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills as they transition from secondary to tertiary training in Rwanda. The bootcamps are one of the primary ways that FAWE supports transition to further training and to work.

Bootcamps were either implemented immediately after graduation from secondary school or after completion of 10th grade. Scholars indicated that the bootcamps helped them see the career options available to them and enhanced their engagement with technology. They became more comfortable with laptops before transitioning to university and connected with other FAWE Scholars – enhancing the Scholars Community.

03. FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Nevertheless, as the Scholars Program has evolved, there is more interest across institutions to consider additional support for graduates – particularly those not transitioning to further education. For instance, considering TVET as a pathway for equipping transitioning Scholars with necessary skills for formal or informal employment.

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04. ALUMNI NETWORKS An exciting part of future transition work is continuing to support FAWE alumni networks, which have the potential for long-term impact.

Key to this is ensuring Scholars continue to stay connected with the FAWE Alumni Network.

Mastercard Foundation has also launched alumni networks and continues to support the Baobab Platform – both are important ways for alumni to connect with each other and with opportunities.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE Insights from the evaluation journey have generated a great deal of conversation and reflection. Three examples of key takeaways and action points for FAWE in the coming year are:

01 Reliance on volunteerism for ongoing

mentorship has seen a variation in the quality of implementation across the schools. As a result, not all scholars are benefiting from the program equally. Going forward, there should be opportunities to advocate for the recognition of mentorship as a core part of teachers’ work rather than an unrecognized add - on; and to engage alumni as mentors for current Scholars.

02 GRP institutionalization is more effective in institutions where the people in leadership have undergone the training. This requires ongoing engagement with the Ministry of Education in both Rwanda and Ethiopia to promote gender equality and continue efforts to mainstream GRP training in educational systems, particularly through teacher training programs.

03 There is strong evidence that language skills

are important for Scholar success after graduation from secondary school. Therefore, English language training should be included as a core Program component. Scholars at tertiary will be engaged to take part in online training beyond what the programme can offer.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Learning Brief was prepared by FAWE with support from Mastercard Foundation staff. All photos were provided by FAWE. For any questions about this Learning Brief or the evaluation, please contact Kelvin Omwansa Forum for African Women Educationalists Email: KOmwansa@fawe.org Daniel Mundeva Program Partner, Mastercard Foundation.

Email: dmundeva@mastercardfdn.org