Adolescent Girls’ Education in Crisis Initiative (AGENCI) is a Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded consortium project delivered in partnership with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). It will be implemented in South Sudan, Syria and Uganda. AGENCI is a four-year project focused on enhancing the ability of vulnerable adolescent girls living in refugee and host communities, to have the abilities and opportunities to learn and actively participate in and contribute to a pluralistic society.
AGENCI’s ultimate goal is to enhance the empowerment of adolescent girls and female youth pursuing educational pathways in crisis-affected areas in South Sudan, Syria and Uganda. As per the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, gender responsive education is essential for their empowerment (The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) 2016)
In Uganda, the project will be implemented by Windle International Uganda (WIU) in Moyo and Obongi Districts. The project intends to empower the adolescent girls through addressing the gender, social, cultural and economic barriers girls face in accessing education, making life decisions and improving their equitable learning outcomes in formal or non-formal upper primary school, secondary school, and skills training programs.
This will be achieved through in and out of school learning and life skills interventions, peer mentorship, and broader support to reduce socio-economic barriers that serve to marginalise and exclude girls and women in society. Adolescent girls and female youth will consequently be empowered to reach their full potential and contribute to the advancement of gender equality and sustainable development by entering, transitioning through and completing a full cycle of quality education, achieving the learning outcomes necessary to succeed in their lives. The project is intended to reach over 68,834 adolescent girls, female youth aged between 13-24 years directly, and about 19,667 male and female youth indirectly.