Liberia Girls' Opportunities to Access Learning (GOAL) Plus Project Quarterly Report Year 2, Q3 - 1 April – 30 June 2015

The project aims to improve primary school girls' enrollment, attendance, retention, and completion in 60 schools in Bong, Lofa, and Grand Bassa counties. To achieve this goal, GOAL Plus is offering a scholarship program to improve girls' access, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) capacity building and community grants to improve the learning environments of schools, an outreach awareness campaign to create support among parents and communities for girls' education and appropriate age enrollment, whole-school health interventions, support to the Ministry of Education (MOE) on topics related to girls' education, and capacity building support to FAWE to strengthen their finance, administration, logistics, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities. Research and evaluation activities are planned to provide evidence concerning the performance of key interventions and issues that influence girls' success in education to inform the policy dialogue and programming related to girls' education. The third quarter of the second project year, April to June 2015, began with Liberia nearly reaching Ebola-free status and both the school year and the project heading towards a more regular implementation. By the middle of the quarter, GOAL Plus staff observed improving school attendance, albeit possibly slower than in normal circumstances. Unfortunately, by the end of the quarter some parents again stopped sending their children to school due to concerns about the announcement that schools would close July 31 with no graduation. The project staff focused on PTA leadership, school improvement plans, finalizing 2014 grants and beginning the 2015 grants. GOAL Plus also completed the distribution of the Girls' Assistance Package, begun the Community Education Counselor program, re-engaged tutors and mentors, and initiated the qualitative research. Staff conducted a spot check on program indicators and targets and continued to provide support and mentoring to the local partner, FAWE. The project will need to postpone activities planned in the schools for August of the next quarter due to the change in the school calendar, with schools reopening in early September. The GOAL Plus project is implementing a range of activities to support girls' education, including tutorial classes for girls in grades one to six who are not performing well in any of the core subjects. During this quarter, GOAL Plus tutors were recruited from program schools in collaboration with principals, teachers, and parents, and were trained to provide support to the girls after classroom hours. The two-day training for the tutors included sessions on the roles and responsibilities of the tutors, as well as sessions on how to provide support to girls who are struggling with their studies. The project is also implementing a range of other activities, including the distribution of the Girls' Assistance Package, which provides support to girls in the form of school supplies, uniforms, and other materials. The project has also begun the Community Education Counselor program, which provides support to girls and their families through community-based counseling and support services. Additionally, the project has re-engaged tutors and mentors, who provide support to girls in their studies and help them to overcome any challenges they may be facing. The GOAL Plus project is also conducting research and evaluation activities to provide evidence concerning the performance of key interventions and issues that influence girls' success in education. The project is using a range of research methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, to gather data on the impact of the project's interventions on girls' education outcomes. The project is also using this data to inform the policy dialogue and programming related to girls' education, and to identify areas where the project can improve its interventions to better support girls' education. The project is also providing support to the local partner, FAWE, to strengthen their finance, administration, logistics, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities. This support includes providing training and technical assistance to FAWE staff, as well as providing resources and equipment to support their work. The project is also working with FAWE to develop a range of materials and tools to support girls' education, including training manuals, guides, and other resources. Overall, the GOAL Plus project is implementing a range of activities to support girls' education in Liberia, including tutorial classes, the distribution of the Girls' Assistance Package, the Community Education Counselor program, and research and evaluation activities. The project is also providing support to the local partner, FAWE, to strengthen their finance, administration, logistics, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities.