Evaluation report : mid-term evaluation of the USAID/Mali girls leadership and empowerment through education (GLEE)

A mixed methods midline evaluation of the GLEE activity surveyed 1,749 girls (924 treatment and 825 control) and 113 principals (56 from GLEE schools and 57 from control schools) and conducted qualitative data collection with a range of program participants and stakeholders. The evaluation found positive progress of the program along a range of key outcomes, including reducing the number of girls who said they planned to drop out of school, improving girls’ perception of school safety, and improving girls’ knowledge and attitudes around menstrual health and reproductive health. Evidence of behavior change in these health areas is more limited. The program also has shown evidence of improving capacity for school management by local school management committees, but some skill transfer work needs to continue. Evidence of institutionalization of the program is limited, which is an area of critical work in later years of the activity. Further work also needs to be done to ensure that recent improvements in GLEE’s monitoring and evaluation system are maintained.