Women's Empowerment Project
Story & Background
In Malawi, women and girls are at an increased risk of missing school, due to a variety of factors including a lack of safe and secure facilities, limited role model and mentorship support, and an inability to effectively manage their menstrual cycles
Malawi as a whole has no difference in the enrollment between boys and girls until after age 14, when girls start leaving school more rapidly compared to boys. The gap widens over time, such that twice as many males as females enroll in secondary school. The goal to strive towards is fewer girls left behind in the formal educational system in rural Malawi from year to year.
Story Time has been working since 2013 to grow our Women's Empowerment Project and empower young girls in rural Malawi. As a result of continued community support of this project, attendance of girls at the school went from 40-60% to 100% within the first year of this project’s implementation, which has created opportunities for girls in their formal education and beyond.
Theory of Change
“When girls have the ability and knowledge to care for their health throughout the month, attendance per girl will increase, more girls will enroll, and girls can build community and mentorship through the knowledge and power in caring for one’s self.
Becoming a more independent woman in Malawi, while challenging, can become more attainable with access to sanitary pads, mentorship, and educational support.
With this project’s success, girls in Malawi will be able to become mentors for other girls in the community. Story Time is uniquely positioned for tackling this issue because our female volunteers are equipped for continued, consistent support, including on-the-ground check-ins with the girls, and the ability to understand their personal situations through regular communication.”
Mission
The Women’s Empowerment Project (WEP) strives to reduce the barriers for women and girls in receiving education and to assist them in actualizing their full potential in order to advance the community as a whole.
Goals
Building safe and secure facilities.
Creating mentorship workshops and empowering spaces.
Cultivating material resources with sustainable delivery.
Desired Impacts
More girls attending 100% of class days
More girls enroll
More girls graduate
Increased community involvement and support of young women
Increased community mobilization and awareness around girls issues
Criteria of success
The WEP is successful if:
Young women are able to pass down knowledge, skills, and materials to younger women who are going through the same struggle, while the number of female community leaders owning and operating the project increases.
Definition
At this time, specific donations to the Women's Empowerment Project will not be used for the overall operations of Story Time, and will only be spent on specific project-related expenses, encompassed by our three main initiatives:
Disposable sanitary pads, Reusable sanitary pads
Workshops
Facilities like a secure women's bathroom and girl's dorm
To learn more about how to contribute to the Women's Empowerment Project, visit the Donate page, where you will find specific information about our current campaigns for projects that are most-in-need.