Empowering Marginalised Girls through Education: The STAGE Project

The Strategic Approaches to Girls’ Education (STAGE) project, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under the Leave No Girl Behind initiative, is transforming the lives of 20,100 highly marginalized adolescent girls across six regions in Ghana. This five-year initiative aims to support girls who have never attended or have dropped out of school, equipping them with literacy, numeracy, life skills, and vocational training opportunities.

STAGE combines formal schooling and informal learning pathways to address the barriers marginalised girls face at individual, community, and systemic levels. Key activities include an accelerated learning program and tailored support to help girls transition into formal education, vocational training, or employment.

To ensure that learning materials resonate with the cultural diversity of Ghana, World Education Inc. engaged IMPLEMENTERS to develop localised illustrations for literacy materials over 20 days. This initiative prioritised cultural inclusivity, taking into account the distinct lifestyles, traditions, and settings of Northern and Southern Ghana.

The illustrations focused on four thematic areas—family, health, work, and education—and aimed to depict everyday scenarios that would be relatable and engaging for learners. For instance:

Family: Showcasing family interactions, inclusive gatherings, and shared activities that promote unity and understanding.
Health: Illustrating accessible healthcare practices, including the need for first-aid treatment at home.
Work: Highlighting diverse vocations, such as farming, car repair, hairdressing, and electronics repair, while portraying women and men equally engaged in economic activities.
Education: Depicting the use of local language, inclusive and progressive learning environments, from primary schools to vocational training centers and universities, underscoring the importance of lifelong learning.