About FAWE

Promoting access and retention and improving the quality of education for girls

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a membership-based pan-African Non-Governmental Organisation that operates through 34 National Chapters in sub-Saharan Africa to promote girls’ and women’s education. FAWE’s vision, mission and goal are all resolute on the well-being of girls’ education. In order to accomplish its mission of ‘promoting gender equity and equality in education in Africa’ FAWE uses a holistic four-pronged approach.

FAWE is a non-political, voluntary, charitable, non-sectarian, not-for-profit organisation and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ideology, colour, nationality or religious persuasion. However, its target beneficiaries and constituency are primarily girls and women.

Watch this video of FAWE’s 25 years milestone

FAWE is a pan-African Non-Governmental Organisation working in 33 African countries to empower girls and women through gender-responsive education.

We believe that through education of women and girls, livelihoods are improved for entire communities and civic education and liberties are enhanced. Educated girls become educated women who have the knowledge, skills and opportunity to play a role in governance and democratic processes and to influence the direction of their societies.

We work hand-in-hand with communities, schools, civil society, Non-Governmental Organisations and ministries to achieve gender equity and equality in education through targeted programmes. We encourage our partners to enact policies and provide positive learning environments that treat girls and boys equally.

Our work influences government policy, builds public awareness, demonstrates best educational practice through effective models and encourages the adoption of these models by governments and institutions of education. This has led to increased rates of girls’ enrollment, retention and completion of school in countries in which our National Chapters operate.

Through our work, girls and women across sub-Saharan Africa have the chance to attend school and overcome material deprivation and social and political exclusion.

Our Vision

A just and inclusive Society in which
all African girls and women have access to
quality education and training to achieve their
full potential.

Our Mission

To promote gender responsive
policies, practices and attitudes and foster
innovations that will provide opportunities
for African girls and women to prosper in all
realms of their lives.

Our Goal

Empower girls and women through
quality education and training to give them
necessary skills, competencies and values to be
productive members of their societies.

Our Values

Professionalism, Integrity, Accountability, Results oriented, Respect for human rights, Diversity.

A Holistic Approach

FAWE’s work is to encourage governments, international organisations and local communities to enact policies and provide positive learning environments that treat girls and boys equally. We use a four-pronged holistic approach to transform girls’ education and to achieve gender equity and equality in education across Africa.

Advocacy and Policy Engagements

Influencing governments and other partners to review existing educational policies and adopt strategies to achieve greater and better participation of girls’ in education.

Community Advocacy

Building public awareness on the social and economic value of girls’ education so that citizens themselves take responsibility for the task and collectively work to support the agenda.

Demonstrative Interventions

Developing and promoting models that demonstrate that contexts can be created that are conducive to girls’ enrolment, continuation and successful completion of the school cycle.

Replication, Scaling up & Mainstreaming

Encouraging governments to adopt and generalise innovations that have demonstrated positive impacts on girls’ schooling.