USAID Mali Girls Leadership And Empowerment Through Education (USAID Mali GLEE)

Adolescent girls in Mali confront a host of barriers to educational access. Although enrollment rates for boys and girls have risen over the last 20-30 years, a gender gap has persisted nationally, with girls enrolled at a lower rate (63.4 percent gross enrollment rate in lower primary school) than that of boys (74.8 percent). The ongoing conflict has further prevented girls from enrolling and staying in school. There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between adolescents’ health and their educational attainment. Quality education is particularly effective in empowering women to make decisions that improve their health and that of their families. Access to education, in turn, is impacted by girls’ health status, particularly regarding childbearing. The USAID-funded Mali GLEE project builds upon other programs to support and leverage efforts by the Government of Mali (GOM) and civil society to increase girls’ educational opportunities in the country.