The Second Chance Education and Vocational Learning (SCE) Programme (2018–2021) aims to develop context-specific, affordable and scalable learning and employment pathways for empowering the world’s most disadvantaged women and young women.
The programme is being piloted in Cameroon, Jordan, India, Mexico, Chile and Australia and aims to directly benefit 67,000 women and young women from indigenous, refugee, displaced, and low-income groups. This project is funded by BHP Billiton Foundation
These marginalized women and young women face a combination of key barriers and vulnerabilities that prevent access to relevant educational programmes, including geographic and cultural barriers; gender-based violence, low income, early marriage and childhood pregnancy, conflict and displacement, and poverty and migration.
In Cameroon, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is implementing the project in; Far North Region (Minawao Refugee camp; Mokolo and Mora); Adamawa Region (Ngam Refugee camp and Meinganga Women Empowerment Centre) and East Region (Bertoua).
The main objective of the project is to provide a comprehensive solution for marginalized women and young women who have missed out on education and who are at risk of being left behind.
In other to ensure sustainability and effective implementation of this program, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) signed a three-year partnership with the African Centre for Environment, Agriculture & Rural Development (ACEARD) to up-scale the activities of Second Chance Education & Vocational (SCE) Program on Crop farming and animal husbandry groups in Cameroon.
African Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development (ACEARD) is an environmental and development think tank organization established to promote sustainable actions that will enhance natural resources management and sustainable development in Africa.
The following key project activities will be implemented as part of the project up scaling;
- Facilitation of re-engagement with Project stakeholders (Lamido, MinProff, Refugees camp Management, SCE Program Co-coordinators, host communities, beneficiaries, etc.)
- Facilitation, formation and registration of legally recognized Economic Interest Groups as Multi-Purpose Cooperative societies
- Up scaling of cooperative group’s enterprises/ livelihood activities for income generation
- Facilitating and Strengthening Market Linkages for cooperative group’s enterprises
- Facilitation, strengthening and establishment of Community Input Store for cooperative group’s enterprises
- Development and Implementation of Result Based MIS/M&E system
- Project Visibility, Media and Communication
- Institutional strengthening/governance and capacity building for Stakeholders, public and private partnership
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
- More marginalized women and young women would access and benefit from high quality educational content, materials and learning pathway
- More marginalized women and young women would benefit from increased employment, livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities.
- There will be Fewer marginalized women and young women who are disadvantaged and denied education opportunities due to harmful and discriminatory social norm.
With the up scaling of the project, the SCE will approximately reach more 20,000 women and girls from the initial target of 11,500 who are refuges, internally displaced persons (IDPs), host populations aged between 15-25 years. More than 60,000 persons as direct and indirect beneficiaries.