London, July 7, 2016 The Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) announced today US$17 million to strengthen the education of adolescent girls in developing countries.
The funding will help improve education for adolescent girls, in particular around the transition between primary and lower-secondary school and focus on interventions to keep girls in school to complete a secondary education at a critical age when many girls drop out.
“We very much welcome this new focus on girls’ education in our collaboration with CIFF,” said Julia Gillard, Board Chair of the Global Partnership for Education. “We need innovative approaches and fresh ideas to ensure that girls don’t drop out after primary education and the CIFF funding is an important contribution that will deepen and extend our work in this crucial area. Without quality education for every girl, we will not achieve the Global Goal of education for all.”
Specifically, the funds will support gender-responsive evidence-based education sector planning and innovative policy solutions to increase the number of adolescent girls moving into secondary education. This will allow governments to better plan for gender equality and build their capacity to address barriers which prevent adolescent girls from completing their education. The more education girls get the less the likelihood of early marriage and teenage pregnancy. The funding is results-based and payments will reward improvements in girls’ education outcomes.
"We are thrilled to partner with the Global Partnership for Education to make sure adolescent girls can stay in school and learn,” said Kate Hampton, CIFF’s Chief Executive Officer. “The skills they develop, behaviors they establish and decisions they make at this age have a tremendously powerful impact on their communities and their own futures.”
The collaboration on gender equality and the education of adolescent girls comes at a timely moment after the adoption of a Gender Policy and Strategy by the GPE Board of Directors in June 2016. Gender equality in education is also a strategic objective in GPE’s new five year Strategic Plan GPE 2020. GPE’s results framework emphasizes progress in lower secondary education completion rates for girls.
The funding is part of a larger contribution of US$22 million provided by CIFF to the fund of the Global Partnership for Education during its replenishment conference in June 2014. This pledge marked the first contribution to the GPE fund from philanthropy.
US$5 million of the original pledge supported ongoing GPE programs strengthening learning outcomes and more efficient education systems in GPE developing partner countries.
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The Global Partnership for Education works with more than 60 developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest, the most vulnerable and those living in fragile and conflict-affected countries. The Global Partnership mobilizes financing for education and supports developing countries to build effective education systems founded on evidence-based planning and policies.
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization, headquartered in London with offices in Nairobi and New Delhi. It works to transform the lives of poor and vulnerable children in developing countries. Areas of work include children and mothers’ health and nutrition, children’s protection and education, along with smart ways to slowdown and stop climate change. It places significant emphasis on quality data and evidence to measure and evaluate progress with partners to achieve systemic and sustainable impact.
More information at ciff.org
Media contacts:
In Washington at GPE:
Alexandra Humme, ahumme@globalpartnership.org, tel: +1 202 458 5511
In London at CIFF:
James Whittington, jwhittington@ciff.org, tel: +44 7880 006 507