Voluntary Service Overseas

Published purpose

This project aims to expand the basic literacy, numeracy and skills development of 3,000 vulnerable, out-of-school adolescent girls, including adolescent mothers and those with disabilities or HIV/AIDS, in six districts of the Manica and Sofala provinces of Mozambique. Project activities include: (1) providing adolescent girls access to accelerated literacy and numeracy classes that are age, gender and disability appropriate, to attain basic reading and writing skills; (2) supporting the development of business and life skills for income-generating opportunities and gain community and political support for their education and economic empowerment; (3) expanding the economic empowerment of these adolescent girls and improving their capacity to protect themselves from sexual and gender-based violence. The project addresses critical barriers to their education by providing them with informal education to gain business, financial, life, literacy and numeracy skills, while supporting their increased self-esteem, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and access to and control over their economic resources.