CIPFEM

For once, I guess I will talk about my internship. I don’t know how this happens, but I always seem so late on talking about my work here (my real life) rather than all the fun I have. Maybe because I have more fun writing about fun things… Oh well. As I’m sure some of you are thinking, FINALLY-- a post about something legitimate…

However, before getting to my internship, I need to give you a background on what I am working with. So. You get the great pleasure of reading one of my Gender and Development papers! (This got me an A, by the way. So-DAD you are not allowed to attack it with a red pen, though I know it will be hard for you. And this is meant to be a 5-page overview of education to incorporate into a 10-15 page final. I say this because I know you (DAD) are about to tear it apart for many reasons. Haha)

                                                                                                Rachel Boehm

                                                                        CIEE Fall Term 2011

                                                                                                Gender St. & Devel.

Gender Parity and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Gender parity in education is one of the most crucial issues facing the 21^st Century. It speaks across all divisions of society, from economic standing, to politics, to health. Equitable processes of education are inconsistent worldwide, especially in developing nations. Poverty and discrimination are key factors in an unequal access to education. The Millennium Development Goals sought to address these inequities, but it is up to civil society groups coupled with legislation from nations with unequal gender parity in education to enact the kind of policies and programs necessary for change. 

Statistics of gender inequalities in education show the vast amount of change which is necessary in society. Girls and women represent two thirds of those who have no access to education. Access is just the beginning. 65 million girls never enter a classroom, and roughly 100 million fail to complete primary school. Despite greatly increased access to the highest levels of education, nearly 75 million girls and women are not being educated. (Aikman and Unterhalter, 1)

The second and third Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) sought to address gender parity in education. The goal of the second MDG is to “achieve universal primary education.” (www.beta.undp.org) The United Nations hoped to see all boys and girls fulfilling primary school by 2015. The third MDG states its goal is to “promote gender equality and empower women.” By 2005, it was expected to expel gender disparities in primary education. The more ambitious goal was to have all forms of gender disparities eliminated from all levels of education by 2015. These MDGs are not the only international sentiments on gender parity and education. Other NGOs and civil society groups work tirelessly to reverse statistics showing negative trends in female school attendance and literacy rates.  (beta.undp.org)

The Beijing Platform for Action for gender equality and Dakar Education For All (EFA) Framework for Action are both examples of other international declarations on behalf of women’s education. Unlike the MDGs, these summits also highlighted the importance of education beyond primary school. (Subrahmanian, 24) While the MDGs stress the global importance of education, these summits are pushing for higher expectations. The wish for gender equity is not enough, for these actors, reaching beyond primary school was also possible.

 EFAs goals are more far-reaching than the MDGs. They focus on expansion and improving education and primary school education, stressing the importance of disadvantaged children. Like the third MDG, they also have a 2015 goal, which seeks to bring access, completely free, and compulsory primary school education of good quality to girls and ethnic minorities. The EFA calls for the comprehensive appreciation for learning needs among both the youth and adults to access both school and life skills programs. They hope for 50% improvement levels of adult literacy by 2015, and ensure equal access to education for girls. Quality is also their goal, as well as recognizing excellence and learning outcomes. (Subrahmanian, 23)

However, gender quality will need much more than collaborative summits. In order to initiate policies, which will impact the social, economic, cultural and political contexts of gender equality, it is crucial that terms of success be researched and initiated. Momentum for change succeeded in increasing the amount of support for women in education. However, obstacles will be overcome only if governments, civil society groups, and NGOs enact the change that is being forever discussed.

The obstacles to gender parity in education are numerous. Deeply entrenched structures of power and discriminatory laws hamper young girls’ enrollment and ability to stay in school. Laws, customs, culture, and institutional practices all hamper the advancement of women in education. However, the MDGs and development agencies should be focusing on more than just gender parity, or the quantity of girls versus boys in school. Issues of quality and equity should be on the table as well. Developing the freedoms of all individuals based on the quality of education they receive will have a greater impact than just achieving numbers. Equality means tearing down predisposed structures which bar young women from their education. (Aikman and Unterhalter, 2)

In countries where the gender gap is significant, there are many obstacles confronting young women. It is critical that harassment be eliminated, as well as gender insensitive materials. The school environment is critical to education, and young women deserve the same supportive learning environment as young men. Reduction and conscious attention to sexual violence will help facilitate that kind of environment. Extending to a health aspect, this is particularly important in regions with high rates of HIV/AIDS. Teachers and appropriate learning materials will pave the way for a safer schools and a gender sensitive future. Parents are a crucial aspect as well, for breaking taboos in society would be impossible without their participation and support. (Regional Overview Report, p. 2)

The ramifications of gender parity, and educating young women, have effects which impact all levels of daily life in Sub-Saharan Africa. The social capital developed by equal education is the foundation on which development takes place. A stable public education system is typically a catalyst for social and economic progression. The effects on population growth are unquestionable. Reduced fertility, low child mortality, and an increased per capita income are all results of educating women. On top of that, the returns of educating women are generally higher than they are for men. (USAID, p. 7)

Senegal’s education system, as of 2000, was one of the least supported in Sub-Saharan Africa. Compulsory education is from 7 years of age to 12 yeas of age, with a legal guarantee for free education. This is consistent with roughly half of Sub-Saharan African countries, even if their compulsory age group ranges from 7-12 years of age, to 6-16 years of age, or 7-13 yeas of age. According to a research of selected education indicators completed in 2000, the total expenditure of the Republic of Senegal on education is only 3.2%.  Even countries with less support from the government had higher literacy rates, such as Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and Mozambique. (Regional Overview Report, p. 3)

            Gender parity and education is a crucial step for social justice and development. The benefits of educating women stretch to encompass health, economics, social life, and political stability. Respect for women and rights to education have gained momentum in recent years thanks to efforts such as the Millennium Development Goals and other collaborative summits. As gender parity and equality increase, quality of life and standards of living will improve across socio-economic boundaries.

So, now that you have a background, my internship!

For the whole of my academic year at CIEE, I will be working with the organization CIPFEM: International Center for the Promotion of Female Leadership. CIEE students in a Gender and Development class created it in 2006 to take action in their community and contribute to the development of Senegal. CIEE student volunteers started a program which works directly with young girls between the ages of 9 and 14. This is the age group which is most likely to drop out of school, and thus, our target population. 

Mask Day

The organization started in the village of Yoff, which is actually just a suburb of Dakar. In 2010, they moved to the community of Ouakam, which is just a 15-minute bus ride from my campus/home.

Red Light/Green Light

The idea is that a group of CIEE students organize bi-weekly sessions at an elementary school in Ouakam, called Ecole Elemantaire El Hadji Mbaye Diope. Each session is about an hour and a half to two hours. We organize language lessons, arts and sports activities, leadership seminars, etc. Each of these activities has a committee, which in turn consists of volunteers (my fellow CIEE stutents). Our Fundraising and Communication/Outreach Committees don’t work directly with the students, but focus their efforts (theoretically) on developing the financial backing of the organization. Language Learning, Arts & Sports, and Leadership/Mentorship work directly with the girls on activities designed to allow them to explore creative and artistic outlets. They range from team-building exercises, relay races, French hang-man games, writing poetry, making masks, etc. Each session is supposed to instill a little more confidence, a little more self-assurance, which then combats school drop-out rates. We explore possible career choices, universities, and how to have a career and family balance. Though this last part might sound a little intense, it’s all done within fun activities, which helps the girls talk more about their dreams/hopes. 

Art Project: Key chains

One of our largest obstacles has been just that, however. Getting the girls to talk about their hopes and dreams is exceedingly difficult. While I grew up I couldn’t walk into a group of adults without all of them leaning over and asking, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?” I started to make things up just to make things more exciting. These girls, however, are hardly ever asked this question, and 6/10 girls will merely give us silence when we try and get something out of them. But those other 4 girls who did want to speak, they want to be judges, teachers, lawyers, and government officials. These girls are fantastic influences on their friends, and encourage them to find something they want to do. 

Designing masks

SUCCESS!

Nadia's Human Knot Group

Human Knot activity: who can get untangled the fastest?

Relay Races

Winners!

Katie: super stoked about teaching!

Public Speaking: Introduction!

Human Knot!

Key chains

Communication is a small road-block as well. Though the older girls speak pretty good French, and goodness knows, we volunteers need to improve as well, there is still just enough of a knowledge gap that communication is a constant upward battle. I speak the most Wolof than any of my fellow volunteers, and though the girls can understand anything I say, I find I can only understand 30% of what they’re trying to tell me. Thus, practice, practice, practice. That’s what these sessions are for both groups.

As for my position specifically, I am the Project Coordinator of the whole thing. Though I have to check in with my internship advisor to get my ideas approved, and sometimes with making connections in the community, but other than that I am the one running the show. I am in constant e-mail communication with the Coordinator from last year, as she is invaluable as a source of information and contacts. In terms of the CIEE volunteers, I am the logistic organizer who is managing Committee communication and keeping everyone up to date on CIPFEM developments. I talk with the headmaster of the school to organize the enrollment of students. I attend every session to ensure that the committees run their activities smoothly, and help them run the sessions. Whenever the committees run out of ideas or need a little inspiration, I am usually involved with those ideas too. Quite simply. I make sure things don’t fall apart.

Recently, I found out that our legal documents are still in the hands of a man who worked with the organization in Yoff. Though he currently isn’t working with our organization, or involved in any of the changes and expansions we are doing, he has our papers. CIPFEM is a legal, legitimate, non-profit organization. However, with all the proof that we are an NGO resting in his hands, we cannot enact the next step and begin setting up our own bank accounts. With bank accounts, we could expand fundraising and thus the scope of our organization, and THUS keeping more girls in school. This can only be a good thing right? This man, however, is proving unwilling to give us our documents. It seems he wishes to maintain ties to our group even though he is no longer involved. I am now faced with two options: call in some African drug lord buddies I have to sneak into his place of residence and take the documents by force. Or, we will need to start from scratch and reapply for NGO status with the Senegalese government to get our own legal documents. As you might have guessed, I am in such deep denial that I wish the first option was viable. The amount of Senegalese bureaucracy that is in my near future is testing my patience before I’ve even started. I know. I am certain. I am sure; that a mountain of superfluous paperwork and unreturned phone calls are in my near future. Also within my near future are long lines to grumpy office secretaries, and a dizzying amount of bureaucratic French that will make my want to bury my head under a rock. 

HOWEVER! I am not to be dissuaded. This is what I came here for, right? I came here to make a difference! Learn a culture! Change lives! (That’s the mantra I mutter to myself whenever I get frustrated, anyway.)

Wish me luck.