Gender Equality in Education

A number of resources, manuals, and publications were produced as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Safe Schools Program, which worked from September 2003 to November 2008 to reduce school-related gender-based violence in selected schools in Ghana and Malawi to support the longer-term goal of improving educational and health outcomes for girls and boys.

The Doorways manuals, the centrepiece of the Safe Schools Program, were designed to break the cycle of violence in and around schools by working directly with teachers and students (ages 10-14) to develop healthier and safer classrooms and with community members to help young people survive violent or abusive situations. The set of manuals can be used as part of an education programme to improve school quality and/or in conjunction with existing HIV/AIDS prevention work to better protect children from HIV infection.

Other related publications from this initiative explore changes in student and teacher knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward school-related gender-based violence. All of the reports, manuals, and results of the initiative may be accessed from the URL below.