The GEAR project is a transnational, multi-layered advocacy project that strengthens inclusive and equitable education systems for girls and young women in rural and farming communities in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In the three countries, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, girls and young women in farming and rural communities face political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal barriers to education. These factors significantly affect young women and girls' ability to transition from primary to secondary education. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the crisis and has damaged the education of millions of pupils. 

The GEAR 2.0 is building on the efforts made in the previous project phase, implemented between November 2021 – April 2024, and will continue to work towards inclusive and equitable education systems for girls and young women in rural and farming communities. The project will address key issues of barriers to girls’ education, especially in rural communities. 

This time around, the project is anchored on four key elements:

• Strengthening demand-side education actors' capabilities on advocacy and influencing. 
• Engaging supply-side education actors through national and transnational advocacy.
• National-level commitment tracking on quality and equitable education for young rural women and girls.
• Growing the GEAR alliance and building regional collaboration and learning coalitions on girls' education.

The main strategy of the project is building on the promotion of social accountability in basic education at national and regional level, strengthening civil society’s regional and transnational advocacy and influencing initiatives on education in the region, and initiating and monitoring national-level commitment tracking on quality and equitable education for young rural women and girls in target countries.

This will be achieved by the GEAR alliance carrying out activities such as: social media campaigns, and other campaigns promoting girls right to education; convening Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conferences, and making sure GEAR is represented in national, regional, and international conferences; hosting of education engagement dialogues; develop policy trackers on education; and generating evidence and provide information on the different education needs.

Thus, by the end of the project, the alliance will have contributed to:

• Increased accountability and public engagement in the education sector and processes at national and transnational levels.
• Strengthened regional collaboration, learning, advocacy, and action on education quality, and equitable access for young women from rural and farming communities.
• Improved education policies, practices, and progress towards fulfilling national and international commitments on inclusive and equitable education systems for young women from rural and farming communities in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

A previous phase of the project was implemented between November 2021 – April 2024. The current project is part of the EOL extension phase of 2024-2026. Read more about the first phase of the project here.