But even with the gains made with the construction of the Ba’adweyn Women and Girl’s Center, girls still faced marginalization in accessing education because of the culture that undermines their participation in formal education and gives preference to boys. Negative cultural practices such as FGM, forced early marriages and a lack of education value for girls further complicated the plight of girls. Unbalanced gender divisions of labor where girls are left with the heavier burden of household chores and tending animals alongside the poor economic status characterized the situation of women and girls in this region.

In light of this, GECPD sought to establish a school to offer formal primary education to orphaned and displaced girls in the surrounding pastoral satellite area, where there were no specific schools for girls of this category. The aim was to offer girls a safe and secure place with a favorable environment to study and hopefully ensure completion of atleast their primary education. Such an environment would also give them favorable conditions to think positively of life as human beings.

Baadweyn Girls Primary School was hence constructed between 2007 and 2008 with the support of Islamic Relief, Ahmed Hashi & Company and Mahamed Dhahakare & Company to provide free formal primary education to orphaned, poor pastoral, returnee girls in the village town. Additions to the school came in 2015 with the support of ADRA under the SOMGEP Project. The school now comprises of 7 classrooms, 1 office, 1 staffroom, a kitchen, a dining hall, 1 water tank and 5 latrines.

Programs offered at the school include Integrated Formal Primary Education for girls and boys from grade 1 to 8 and Integrated Non-Formal education for women.