Girls’ Rights to Education for Actual Transformation (GREAT II)

Project Overview

The Girls’ Rights to Education for Actual Transformation (GREAT II) worked to strengthen girls’ education by building leadership skills among girls, improving school governance, and increasing community accountability for quality education. The project focused on practical change within schools and communities, using existing structures such as girls’ clubs, PTAs, SMCs, School Mothers, and WATCH Committees. Rather than creating new systems, GREAT II strengthened what already existed to ensure long-term ownership and sustainability.

Objectives

• Empower girls with leadership skills, confidence, and knowledge to participate in school and community decision-making.
• Strengthen community and school structures to actively support and monitor quality education.
• Increase citizen engagement and accountability toward local education authorities.
• Improve community support for girls’ education and gender equality.
• Equip girls with basic entrepreneurship skills and practical experience.

Why this project matters

Girls in Northern Ghana continue to face barriers such as poverty, gender norms, limited voice in decision-making, and weak accountability systems in schools. GREAT II addressed these challenges by placing girls at the center of solutions, strengthening peer leadership, and building stronger links between students, schools, and communities.

Target groups

Primary target groups included girls in senior high schools, REEP Ambassadors, out-of-school girls, and key school governance structures (PTAs, SMCs, patrons, and School Mothers).
Secondary target groups included parents, traditional and religious leaders, district education and health officials, and the wider community reached through radio and outreach activities.

Key activities

• Life skills and leadership training through REEP Girls Clubs in five senior high schools.
• Leadership conferences, debate competitions, and advocacy campaigns such as She Walks for Change.
• Capacity building for PTAs, SMCs, School Mothers, and WATCH Committees on school governance and safeguarding.
• Social accountability activities, including community audits and dialogue with duty bearers.
• Radio programmes to promote girls’ rights, quality education, and community oversight.
• Entrepreneurship boot camps and a final Entrepreneurship Summit for girls.

What we did

Girls were trained and supported to lead school clubs, mentor peers, and engage school authorities on issues affecting their education. Students developed business ideas and pitched them at an entrepreneurship summit, where seasoned experts judged the ideas and awarded seed funding and mentorship. Community dialogues and school forums created safe spaces for discussion, feedback, and collective problem-solving.

Key results

• Girls demonstrated increased confidence, leadership skills, and participation in school governance, with several elected as prefects across participating schools.
• Students developed and pitched viable business ideas, with selected winners receiving financial awards and ongoing mentorship support.
• Community structures became more active and coordinated in monitoring teacher attendance, student safety, and school conditions.
• WATCH Committees strengthened local accountability and reduced harmful practices through dialogue and monitoring.
• Communities contributed resources and support to schools, showing increased ownership of education outcomes.

Lasting impact

GREAT II strengthened a peer-led model that continues to empower girls as leaders beyond the project period. The relationships built between students, schools, and communities have improved accountability and trust, while the entrepreneurship and leadership skills gained by participants provide lasting benefits for their education and livelihoods.