Inclusive education: How SCIAF are empowering girls and supporting young people with disabilities in South Sudan

For the past three-years SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund), have been supporting young people with disabilities in South Sudan, ensuring they are able to access the education they deserve, challenging negative stereotypes around gender and disability and improving inclusivity within schools and communities.

Accessing inclusive learning

In South Sudan, young people must be able to meet certain personal care requirements before they are allowed to start school – things like using the toilet independently or dressing themselves. For many young people with disabilities, tasks like these can be extremely difficult. This alongside the limited knowledge and tools available around inclusive, accessible learning means they are less likely to attend school.  

But with funds raised through their WEE Box appeal in 2019, SCIAF, alongside their partner Sudan Evangelical Mission (SEM) have been nurturing change in communities. 

Through the project, dedicated support workers have been trained to assist children and their families to identify and meet their basic care needs. These workers provide encouragement and care, and tailor skills plans so they can become more independent and confident.

To ensure schools are accessible the project has repaired classrooms and installed ramps and desks. Children with additional needs have been provided with braille materials and audio tapes so they can join in lessons with their peers, and community members, students and teachers have been trained in sign-language and inclusive education practices.

Several new ‘school clubs’ have been established in six focus schools too. These include debating teams, gardening groups, football clubs and health clubs, creating a fun and social learning environment where children of all ages and abilities can participate together. These clubs not only boost the confidence of young people with disabilities, but reshape how inclusive education is understood and embraced in the wider community.

Photograph: Students at one of the schools

Empowering girls

The project has also been empowering girls through menstrual health education and access to reusable menstrual products. In South Sudan, many girls miss school every month because of their periods. This is due to limited funds to buy menstrual products, and a lack of private and secure facilities at school to manage their periods. These monthly disruptions can have a lasting impact on their education, confidence, and future opportunities.

The menstrual pads provided are made from reusable materials making them a cost-effective and sustainable options for girls and their families. They are made locally so production creates paid work and income for tailoring businesses.

In addition to this practical approach, the project has been challenging social norms and stigma. Workshops run by local partners have raised awareness about periods and reproductive health, encouraging open conversations with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders. These efforts support girls to stay in school, while contributing to long-term behaviour change, where menstruation can be talked about openly between girls and boys, their families and the community.

“The sanitary pads and soap have allowed me to stay in school too. We used to buy menstrual products from the market – but when there was no money, it meant that I missed school due to my periods.” Vaida, 20 years old.

Stories of change

12 year old Malia has been living with hydrocephalus – a build-up of excessive fluid in the brain – since she was a baby, which has made her life extremely difficult. But with support from the project, Malia was able to access emergency medical treatment which has transformed her life. Malia now has access to further medical check-ups to keep an eye on her condition, and she has been encouraged through the project to attend school which in turn is building her self-esteem and confidence. “I am in primary school and – when I’m older – I would like to become a doctor. I feel happy going to school and reading my books because I know I will have a bright future, in spite of my disability.”

Photograph: Malia at home

As Vaida was growing up, walking became difficult. She couldn’t move around freely like other children and needed to be carried which left her feeling like a burden. With support from SEM, Vaida now has a tricycle and an elbow crutch so she can travel longer distances, such as to school, church and the market. SEM staff also visit her regularly to check on her progress and do physiotherapy on her legs. Vaida now has more freedom and doesn’t have to rely on others to get around.

Photograph: Vaida at home

Through this human-centred approach SCIAF’s support is ensuring girls and young people with disabilities have equal opportunities to attend school and thrive towards the futures they deserve. 

Find out more about SCIAF and the project on their website.

Late last year, the UK Aid Match team visited four grant holders and their delivery partners across Africa and Southeast Asia – Action Aid and UWS (United World Schools) in Cambodia, ADD International in Uganda, and Save The Children in Kenya.

The visits were an opportunity to connect with grant holders and partners, strengthen our critical relationships, and to deepen our understanding of project progress and challenges. They also create time for troubleshooting ideas and offering tailored support, for example, with technical or financial reporting challenges or with understanding the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) approach to safeguarding.

Below is a brief summary of the visits:

In four provinces of Cambodia, Action Aid has established Women Champion Networks (WCN) who are equipping their communities with tools, knowledge and resilience to adapt to climate change, manage disaster risk and amplify their voices to advocate for their rights.

During the visit our team met with members of the WCN in Koh Kong and Kampot, seeing first-hand how their efforts have been impacting them and their wider communities. In Koh Kong, Women Champions demonstrated how their innovative coconut husk fertiliser business is generating funds to support the Network’s other activities, creating financial sustainability for the group. The fertiliser is a natural, eco-friendly way to enhance soil health which is vital in their drought-prone region. And in Kampot, Women Champions delivered agro-ecological training activities such as crop selection and rotation, reducing dependence on agro-chemicals and establishing water catchment systems so women-farmers are better prepared for the effects that climate change is having on their livelihoods. 

A key success of the WCN are their mentoring activities, which are providing members with opportunities to build confidence and learn new skills in a safe, supportive community. Women Champions shared how these experiences have had a positive impact on their inter-personal relationships and positions in their households and communities.

Photographs: Coconut husks used to produce fertiliser and generate income for the financial sustainability of WCN; A Women Champion demonstrating the coconut husk fertiliser process

UWS are supporting children to enrol and stay in school in remote regions of Cambodia, while developing education facilities, school management structures and supporting teacher employment and training. This multi-country project also extends to remote areas of Nepal.

Our team and FCDO travelled to Ratanakiri, Kratie and Koh Kong, meeting students, teachers, mothers groups and community leaders across seven schools, deepening understanding of the challenges and progress of the project. The schools are very remote and often in hard-to-reach locations, where support from government and other stakeholders is minimal. The progress so far was evident, with vibrant school buildings and resources, upgraded latrines, running water, and in some cases, electricity. 

The UK Aid Match supported schools have strong enrolment and retention rates compared with non-supported schools, and teachers are receiving training and mentoring support to strengthen child-centred classroom culture and learning standards. School Management Committees and mothers groups are central to the project’s sustainability plans to create inclusive school cultures that nurture student learning and a safe environment for children to flourish, especially for girls.

A key strength of the project is the strong relationship that UWS have developed with local government authorities (education offices) and the positive effect this has on the broader work of UWS to help facilitate innovative educational initiatives.

Photographs: Children learning at the upgraded schools

In Uganda, ADD International are supporting young people with disabilities (YPWD) through kitchen gardening, improving both food and income security for them and their families, and reducing the risk of violence against YPWD.

During the visit our team travelled to Jinja and Luwero districts, where they met with ADD International’s partners  – Buganda Disabled Union (BUDU) and Source of the Nile Union of Persons with Albinism (SNUPA) – who are working with ADD to advocate for YPWD, as well as implement the project. They were able to visit some of the kitchen gardens as well as a market stall selling vegetables that have been grown in the gardens.

The project is also challenging negative perceptions around the productive capacity of YPWD and the team were happy to hear that there has been a positive shift within communities, families and among YPWD themselves. Through the kitchen gardening, YPWD are contributing to household food security and income, and feedback from them and their families have highlighted increased self-confidence, aspiration and pride.

Photographs: Fatuma, a Lead Farmer, at her market stall in Jinja District; Members of the UK Aid Match team with SNUPA, ADD International and project participants in one of the kitchen gardens

In Turkana and Mandera counties, Kenya, Save The Children are improving access to lifesaving prevention and treatment services for childhood illnesses and malnutrition.

During the visits our team travelled to two community outreach sites in Loima Sub-County, Turkana, to meet with implementing partner Turkana Christian Development Mission, Community Health Promoters (CHP) and the Sub-county Health Management Team. The goal was to understand how they work together to improve healthcare access in these areas. As part of the project, CHPs have been trained to successfully identify and provide appropriate treatment for diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia. This training, alongside a social and behaviour change campaign, has improved community awareness around these illnesses. Mothers in particular now have a better understanding of symptoms to look out for when they or their children are sick and can contact the CHPs to seek appropriate treatment.

It was also encouraging to see the strong collaboration between the Save the Children project team and the County Department of Health and Sanitation, with joint monitoring of project outcomes, mentoring of key health personnel and regular quality assurance checks against the Community Health Strategy. These efforts are supporting long-term capacity, ensuring that knowledge, skills and resources are in place to continue successful implementation of healthcare once the project ends next year.

Photographs: A Community Health Promoter advises a mother on how to monitor her child’s nutrition status; UK Aid Match, Save The Children and Turkana Chrisitan Development Mission’s teams with CHPs

A thank you

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and individuals involved with these visits. We really appreciated all your time and continued hard work.

In Pakistan, girls face significant barriers to accessing school and gaining an education. These barriers include accessibility, where schools are often far from home and require long and dangerous journeys, and inadequate and basic school infrastructure and learning resources. In this context, alternative models like community learning centres offer accessible, safe spaces for girls to learn closer to home.

Through their three-year UK Aid Match project ‘Empower Her’, READ Foundation have set up 120 community-based accelerated learning spaces (CBALS) within communities in two rural areas of Pakistan, to help support 3,600 girls to receive the education they deserve.

The CBALS are located in easily accessible areas for girls, such as local churches and community centres. Each building is named after influential women, including local role models who advocate for women’s empowerment, fostering a sense of pride and connection amongst the students and wider community. The CBALS are well-equipped with teaching materials, comfortable furniture, boundary walls for added safety, and washroom facilities with access to safe drinking water, creating a secure and supportive learning environment.

Photograph: A student stood next to one of the CBALS

So far, 120 female teachers have been recruited to teach at the CBALS and have received training from education specialists. This training includes capacity building on how to implement activity-based learning methodologies and approaches for accelerated learning, assessment techniques and lesson planning. Teachers and staff have also received in-depth safeguarding training to equip them with enhanced protocols and standards for safeguarding.

“I never realised earlier that there are different teaching methodologies that can maintain children’s interest in studies. By learning and adopting activity-based learning, my interest in teaching students, including my own children, has increased.” – CBALS teacher

In addition to improving girls’ access to education, the project is assisting the girls with obtaining birth certificates by connecting them and their families with the relevant authorities. Currently, 90% of girls in the CBALS do not have their birth certificate, and securing this document will enable them to have access to essential government health, education and nutrition programmes.

Community engagement is essential to the project’s long-term success, especially in promoting the importance of girls’ education. Several committees have been established such as a Village Education Committee, where male and female community members, government officials and project staff come together to raise awareness of the project. Community outreach initiatives, campaigns and workshops are also being conducted to challenge social perceptions and attitudes around girls’ education and to emphasise everyone’s role in empowering girls and strengthening their future.

Photograph: Girls learning in one of the CBALS

Looking forward, the project’s next steps include opening 14 schools, so that girls from the CBALS can transition to formal education with confidence.

For more about the project, take a look at READ Foundation’s project report.