Integrated Literacy Program
This is an 18-month program with 3 progressive levels-Level 1 to 4. GECPD started offering this program at the beginning in October 1999 at the GECPD Main Center enrolling some 2,000 women and girls who had had no opportunity to Education. Learning was taking place in 24 other centers around Galkayo. The program was based on the national Non-Formal Education curriculum developed with the support of UNICEF/UNESCO. The curriculum was enriched with integrated subjects of elimination of FGM, women’s rights, gender equality, primary and community health, peace and reconciliation, democracy, HIV/AIDS and environmental education. This program was designed to provide literacy and numeracy skills to women while at the same time giving them life application skills through self-awareness and education.
This program is currently being implemented in Galkayo, Harfo, Ba’adweyn, Bursallah, and Galdogob. The program targets women who missed out on education earlier in life and lack any form of literacy and numeracy skills. With the ability to read and write, GECPD believes the women will be in a position to access written ideas and better understanding of their rights hence able to end the circle of oppression that surrounds their lives.
Second Chance Program
In implementing the Integrated Literacy Program, GECPD realized that some of the girls enrolled into the program were young women and girls who missed out on an earlier opportunity but with a potential of furthering their education. They would quickly grasp lessons being taught faster than their older classmates. Yet they could not enroll into the formal primary program that is quite demanding because of the demand for their labour at home.
GECPD therefore crafted this program in 2001 to carter for this category of girls and young women. The program is a fusion of elements from the Formal Primary and Non-Formal Education official curriculums. The purpose of this program was to enable this group of girls who missed out on an earlier opportunity to education -due to war, poverty and cultural segregation of the girl child in accessing education- acquire functional literacy and numeracy skills. This would enable them pursue vocational training or integrate into formal primary and continue with their studies.
The program is still running in five GECPD centers; GECPD Main Center, Minority Women Center, Harfo Girls and Women Center, Ba’adweyn Women Center, Bursallah Women Center and has currently enrolled 1,600 girls and young women aged 17 to 30 years.
IDP Special Program
Galkayo continues to receive a large number of IDPs mostly those fleeing the continued fighting in South Central Somalia. The IDPs stay in 21 settlements in and around Galkayo. A participatory assessment by UNHCR in Galkayo IDP settlements in 2007 pointed to a lack of social services and amenities including education, calling for intervention measures. GECPD was compelled to intervene and incorporate provision of emergency education to IDP women, girls and boys within its education programs.
With the support of financiers of its education programs Oxfam Novib, Diakonia, AJWS, Spazio Solidale and Rita Levi Foundation, GECPD enrolled 800 girls and young women from 10 IDP settlements (Tawakal, Siinay, Buulo Kontrol, Afarta Kaare, Bulo Jawan, Buulo Noto, Bulo Aarafad, Buulo Baaley, Warshad Galley) under a Food for Training program to pursue, Integrated Second Chance and Vocational Skills Training in Tailoring.Support by other donors covered the costs of learning material while WFP
WFP provided the food incentive. The official Non-Formal Education curriculum utilized was enriched with issues pertinent to women and girls such as SGBV, FGM, HIV/AIDS, peace building, gender awareness, civic education, primary and community health, sanitation and environmental education. Some of those enrolled in this program completed upto level 4 of the literacy program, while those who joined the tailoring skills program were enrolled in GECPD’s Sanitary Kits production project where they have been able to perfect their skills while earning some livelihood.
GECPD has since established a continuous non-formal education programs in Halabookhad and Buulo Ba’aley IDP settlements mainly targeting women and girls. IDP girls and boys are also receiving formal primary education at Minority School Buulo Ba’aley.
Non-Formal Education Pictures
