Scholarships for African Girls & Boys

Access to universal primary education is one of the ten United Nations Millennium Development Goals established for the world to achieve by 2015, and is recognized as a key to development. The promotion of gender equity and the empowerment of women is another Millennium Development Goal, and one interim goal was to achieve gender parity in primary education by 2005. In sub-Saharan Africa, historically, girls have lagged behind boys in enrollment and retention and that is still the case in many countries. While the elimination of school fees in many countries has increased enrollment, and helped narrow the gender gap, there is still a long way to go, and vulnerable children from economically disadvantaged families find it difficult to bear the direct expenses and the opportunity costs of sending their children to school. Scholarships help overcome these economic barriers, and mentoring helps support the academic and social needs of the children in the program. 

The Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship Program awards scholarships and provides mentoring to vulnerable children in order to increase their retention in school. Many of these children would otherwise have no means of staying in school.  By September 2011, Winrock expects to award approximately 150,000 scholarships to vulnerable girls and boys in southern Africa. 

The Winrock team's strategic approach targets the following AEI-AGSP objectives for the southern Africa region (see country list below):
1) Award approximately 150,000 scholarships to girls and boys in 13 sub-Saharan African countries;
2) Provide mentoring and HIV/AIDS training and/or information to 75% of scholarship recipients; and
3) Encourage and support community participation in a democratic manner.

To meet the AEI-AGSP results and achieve its goal and objectives, the key elements of the Winrock team's strategic approach are to:
• Partner with local NGOs to manage the scholarship awards and mentoring programs;
• Identify scholarship recipients from the target groups through a transparent and democratic selection process that includes community participation;
• Work cooperatively with the USG Missions to develop locally customized scholarship, mentoring, and HIV/AIDS training programs
• Facilitate, through local partners, timely payment of tuition and other scholarship benefits, and monitoring of academic progress;
• Support NGO-led mentoring programs that provide positive role models and teach life skills to scholarship recipients, thus providing the motivation to succeed academically;
• Provide training and/or information in HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation, and care and support to scholarship recipients through effective, community-based mentoring programs; and
• Encourage and support community involvement in selection and support of the scholarship program and the children's academic performance.
 
To implement the AGSP and achieve its objectives, Winrock is undertaking the following key activities:
• Issue and manage local implementing partner subcontracts (for scholarship and mentoring program delivery).
• Develop and disseminate proven, age-appropriate content for inclusion in mentoring programs and HIV/AIDS training conducted by local partners.
• Collect and monitor technical and financial data from local partners and regularly generate reports on AGSP results.

• The program is currently operational in 11 countries: Angola, Botswana, Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sγo Tomι and Prνncipe, South Africa, and Swaziland.
• More than 106,308,600 scholarships have been awarded to girls, and 14,021 to boys, in the first five years of the program. Many girls have received support for multiple years, enabling them to continue their education into secondary school and beyond. Mentoring programs have reached more than 90% of these scholars, far exceeding the 75% target and underscoring the value that partners place on the mentoring as a tool for improving the overall effectiveness of the program.
• The program has awarded $18,084,908 in funds to 35 local NGOs in the region to provide scholarships and mentoring in the first five years of implementation. 
• In many cases this program complements ongoing activities being conducted by our NGO partners such as youth clubs, support for people affected by HIV/AIDS and other community activities, thus ensuring that the scholars are integrated into broader community efforts.
• Scholarship recipients are academically motivated girls and boys who are vulnerable because they are economically disadvantaged and/or affected by HIV/AIDS, orphans (single- or two-parent), and/or physically disabled. Most scholars will receive more than one year's assistance to help them complete their primary school education.
• Community members, school officials, parents, traditional authorities, government officials, and other stakeholders have been involved in the identification, selection, and mentoring of the girls and boys.
• Many partnerships with NGOs involved in AIDS work were established and these partnerships are resulting in new synergies with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
• Mentoring activities have enriched the experience for the scholars, raising their self-esteem, helping them cope with difficult challenges at school and at home, and motivating them to succeed and stay in school.