No Silver Bullet: A Nuanced Approach to Supporting Marginalised Somali Girls to Learn

Somalia is ranked as the most fragile state in the world in the Fragile States Index and as the fifth worst place in the world to be a girl in Save the Children’s Girls’ Opportunity Index. Girls in Somalia face numerous... [ view full abstract ]

Somalia is ranked as the most fragile state in the world in the Fragile States Index and as the fifth worst place in the world to be a girl in Save the Children’s Girls’ Opportunity Index. Girls in Somalia face numerous intersecting challenges in accessing and achieving in education. It remains difficult to effectively reach marginalised groups, including those in conflict affected areas, clan and ethnic minorities, girls with disabilities, orphans, and those affected by displacement. External evaluation findings of the Relief International-led Girls’ Education Challenge project, ‘Educate Girls, End Poverty’ (EGEP) are enabling us to see what interventions are proving effective in reaching these numerous marginalised groups. Results clearly demonstrate that a ‘one-size-fits–all’ approach is not effective in such a complex context: inclusive education is essential for sustainable development This paper outlines interventions that have proven effective in reaching particular marginalised girls and supporting them to learn successfully. For example, for girls in rural areas, the establishment of girls’ clubs and improvements in girl-centred teaching approaches are the factors significantly impacting on learning levels; amongst girls in IDP camps, classroom renovations and latrine construction are the most significant factors; and amongst girls affected by conflict, the provision of solar lamps to the most marginalised are having the greatest effects on learning. We will also highlight the groups that appear to still be falling between the cracks: whilst EGEP made significant progress in learning amongst a range of marginalised groups, the same level of gains was not made amongst girls with disabilities. Possible reasons and areas for improved approaches will be explored with this in mind. Furthermore, this paper flags the importance of analysing data in relation to different marginalised groups, demonstrating that, if we concentrate only on the average child, the hard-to-reach will inevitably be left behind.