Girls Thrive Programme
Who: SOS Barnebyer
What: Girls Thrive Programme
Where: Malawi
Project period: 2025-2027
About the project
The Girls Thrive Programme aims to ensure that over 2,300 vulnerable girls and young women have access to formal and non-formal education to enable them to thrive in their families, schools, and communities. Through a range of educational activities, girls will be provided with the skills, knowledge, and tools to break out of the generational cycle of poverty, become economically independent, and provide quality care for their children.
Poverty, unemployment, illness, psychological, and social factors and excessive caregiving responsibilities are among the factors that make families struggle to send their daughters to school. One of the goals of the programme is to provide livelihood support to parents so that they can earn an income to cover school fees and other materials for their daughters. The programme includes a randomised controlled trial to compare the results of caregivers who receive cash transfers vs. the usal SOS income-generating activities on child outcomes, including girls’ access and retention in school. The programme also aims to minimize barriers that prevent girls from getting an education, which includes combating harmful gender norms in society, such as preventing child marriage and gender-based violence, and encouraging caregivers to educate their daughters.
In cases where formal education is not the best option for a young woman for various reasons, vocational skills training is a good alternative and provides a clear pathway to economic self-reliance. Therefore, another aspect of the Girls Thrive Programme supports out-of-school young women through a holistic vocational skills and life skills training project. This project integrates vocational and entrepreneurial skills training with sexual and reproductive health, life skills, and mental health training and services so they can become economically independent and empowered to make their own life choices.
About the organisation
SOS Children's Villages International (CVI) is a global federation of over 130 national Members Associations (MAs) focused on the rights of children without parental care or at risk of losing it. SOS CVI programmes are split into three pillars: prevention of child-family separation by working directly with caregivers and local communities; protection for children without adequate parental care; and advocacy with partners to create systematic change.
SOS Norway is active in SOS CVI’s international policy development, and most recently, the global governance reform process with the aim of shifting power and resources to MAs in the Global South. SOS Norway has a core financial responsibility for 10 MAs, including SOS Malawi, with staff responsible for continual oversight and monitoring to ensure effective use of funds. In the Girls Thrive Programme, SOS Norway is the lead organisation, while SOS Malawi is the implementing partner, together with their local partners.
