Poverty is a major cause of poor access to education, retention and completion for girls in sub-Saharan Africa. When families cannot afford to educate all their children and must make a choice, preference often goes to boys.
To address the limited access to quality basic education experienced by children living in rural or remote communities or in socially marginalised areas, FAWE identifies and supports severely disadvantaged girls from such areas through a bursary programme.
FAWE’s bursaries enable bright girls from poor backgrounds to enrol in school, stay on to complete the school cycle at primary or secondary level, and perform well in national examinations. This financial support covers the costs of school fees, school uniforms, textbooks, stationery and personal hygiene products.
FAWE’s bursary programme was initiated in 2003 and has been introduced in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
FAWE also extends financial support to boys from underprivileged backgrounds. In 2008, we supported over 5,700 boys with bursaries.
Over 46,000 students have benefited from FAWE’s bursary programme since 2003.