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Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: Catalyzing Gender Equality Across Five Nations
Abstract
[POSTER] Despite decades of global advocacy, women and girls in marginalized communities across Asia and Africa continue to face systemic barriers to education, economic participation, and basic rights. The Empowering Women and Girls (EWG) project addresses these challenges through a transformative, multi-country initiative in Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Over three years, the project aims to train 75,000 women and girls in life and vocational skills, connecting them to education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Simultaneously, 20,000 men and boys are being trained to support gender equality and challenge harmful social norms. The project engages stakeholders at all levels - individuals, communities, and institutions - to build a supportive environment and ensure long-term impact. This poster presents key findings and compelling evidence from a comprehensive Outcome Monitoring study conducted in the project's second year of implementation. Using a culturally sensitive, mixed-methods approach - including case studies, social mapping, most significant change stories and organizational self-reflection to assess progress - the study engaged around 1,000 respondents across three interconnected pathways and concluded: In rights and decision-making, women gained greater control over personal and economic choices, with growing male support for gender equality; In education, girls' school retention rose by 10-20%, and vocational training enabled women to pursue entrepreneurship and economic independence; and In sustainable livelihoods, climate-smart farming and non-farm income diversification boosted yields and household stability. Additionally, the poster features the value of the community and community-based strategies in driving this transformation including WhatsApp support groups for legal aid and safe dialogue, community forums linking grassroots activism with civil society, traditional leaders advocating against gender-based violence, and the Community Report Cards promoting accountability with 60% community participation. Beyond individual empowerment, the poster demonstrates how the project has strengthened community structures, institutional capacity, and eco-friendly practices. While challenges such as limited state advocacy and infrastructure gaps persist, the project lays a strong foundation for sustainable change. It offers a scalable, community-driven model for advancing gender equality through integrated, locally led approaches in collaboration with governments and civil society.
PCF11 Sub-Theme: Sustaining Communities of Learning and Practice in Innovative Open Education
Paper ID: 7814
Subject
Country
Bangladesh, Malawi, Mozambique, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Region
Africa, Asia
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Date
2025-09
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Commonwealth of Learning (COL)