Waache Wasome (Let Them Learn) Tanzania | PY5 Q3 Quarterly Progress Report

The project aims to improve the educational outcomes of adolescent girls in Tanzania by building their protective assets, increasing family commitment and capacity to invest in girls' education, fostering a girl-friendly and supportive school environment, and providing alternative education pathways for girls who have dropped out of secondary school. During the third quarter of the fifth project year (PY5-Q3), which spans from April 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021, the project continued to make progress towards its objectives despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project team adapted its programming approaches to ensure the health and safety of beneficiaries, subgrantees, and stakeholders. Objective 1 of the project focuses on building the protective assets of adolescent girls through Protect Our Youth (POY) Club activities in schools. During the reporting period, the project supported ongoing school- and club-based activities, reaching 3,249 students (2,049 girls) who regularly participated in POY Club sessions and 35,925 students (18,681 girls) who were reached through POY extra activities. Student-teacher dialogue sessions were also held at several schools, improving interactions and communication between educators and learners. Objective 2 aims to increase family commitment and capacity to support girls' education through the formation and effective functioning of Livelihood Improvement for Mothers and Caregivers of Adolescents (LIMCA) groups. As of the third quarter, the project recorded several notable accomplishments, including the support of 1,895 vulnerable students (62% girls) with materials and supplies worth approximately $7,315 through LIMCA Education Funds. LIMCA group activity is going strong, with cumulative membership standing at 13,686 (10,470 women), and groups issued a total of 7,525 loans for approximately $479,571. Objective 3 focuses on fostering a girl-friendly and supportive school environment. Two major accomplishments resulted from intensive partnership with the government this quarter, including the completion of the process of updating WEI teacher training materials with the Tanzania Institute of Education and the approval of the revised SRGBV Prevention and Response Manual for national use. The project's Dropout Early Warning System has also been adapted and integrated into the national electronic School Information System, in collaboration with PO-RALG. The project team continued to provide focused support and training for School Boards, training 121 board members and conducting follow-up discussions with 99 School Boards. The trio of STEM-related activities, including Science and Mathematics Subject Clubs, Design Squad weekend sessions, and ICT Spark Clubs, also proceeded, with a total of 5,531 (3,155 girls) students regularly participating in weekly SMSC sessions.