Third Quarterly Report: Empowering Adolescent Girls to Lead through Education (EAGLE) Project

Project activities cut across education, gender, health, and social protection considerations to take into account the relationships between educational achievement, health outcomes, and equitable gender norms. EAGLE aims to empower adolescent girls in peri-urban areas of Kinshasa and Lubumbashi to acquire the education and skills necessary to play an active and positive role within their schools, families, and communities and become agents of change. The three Intermediate Results (IR) of the EAGLE Results Framework are: Improved transition from primary to secondary school and improved completion rates for lower secondary school for EAGLE scholars; Increased capacity for self-efficacy regarding life choices for EAGLE scholars; and Improved knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding adolescent reproductive health, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response, and gender equality within EAGLE school communities. A key focus for the third quarter of 2014 was preparing for the baseline study, which was delayed due to FHI 360's Research Specialist's restricted availability to travel to the DRC to design the study, as per USAID's recommendation. Baseline preparations included hiring the Principal Investigator, finalizing the project framework and submitting it to USAID, and designing the protocol and data collection tools. Despite some setbacks due to delayed data collection, progress was made toward EAGLE's three intermediate results. Under IR1, the completion of the Master Teacher Trainer (MTT) training in reading and writing was a key accomplishment. Subsequently, 156 teachers and school directors were trained by the MTTs in Kinshasa. A direct-observation tool (DTO) was also adapted for the EAGLE project, which will aid in monitoring the quality of instruction. The project has continued to analyze and revise existing tutoring materials and began the design of a tutoring strategy based on lessons learned from MEPSP reading and math programs. Under IR2, the mentoring guides went through a technical validation with technical experts from the ministry and civil society. The guides will be submitted to the Minister of Education for his final approval. Scholar selection committees were established in EAGLE schools, who will be responsible not only for selecting scholarship recipients in a fair and transparent manner but also for several other interventions. Under IR3, an initial GBV intervention mapping was conducted by the team in the targeted project sites with the objective of identifying community health care and youth service providers. However, site visits will be necessary to confirm and fill in the gaps in the information provided. EAGLE selected the two schools where the pilot scholarship program will be implemented for the third trimester, an activity directed by USAID during the last quarter. Student data was collected and a database was established. The results of the pilot activity will help improve selection criteria of scholarship recipients as well as scholarship distribution for future implementation. Following school visits, it was discovered that nine schools did not meet pre-approved selection criteria, and were thusly replaced. The concerned districts (sous-PROVED) were duly notified and approved the replacements. A draft Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) was prepared, the finalization of which will follow baseline data collection so that appropriate targets can be assigned to indicators. The EAGLE Year One Work Plan and budget were modified to reflect project delays as well as USAID-recommended modifications, and both were submitted to USAID.