The SAWA Project provides economic incentives to support girls’ education and break the cycle of school dropouts and early marriage.
Sector: Economic Empowerment
Region: Lebanon
Approval year: 2025
Economic Empowerment; Future of work educational and training programs
Through this grant we support the SAWA (‘together’) project, created by Anera, which provides education to 750 out of school girls in North Lebanon and seeks to enhance their access to education and inspire them to pursue further education or careers.
In Lebanon, early marriage is most acutely felt among displaced populations, and it is estimated that 41% of Syrian refugee women aged 20-24 have been married before the age of 18. The SAWA project, launched in 2021 as a pilot, uses conditional cash transfers to aid in completing young girls’ education. SAWA also provides retention classes, life skills workshops, and runs public awareness campaigns on the health risks of early marriage. During the pilot program, 1,300 girls received educational support through conditional cash transfer. SAWA saw promising results: decreased dropout rates and decreased early marriage rates among the participants. By implementing a multifaceted approach that includes conditional cash transfers, educational support, and community-based interventions, SAWA provides a robust framework for supporting girls’ education and well-being.
Throughout the program, comprehensive impact measurement and evaluation metrics are used to assess the program’s effectiveness. This holistic approach is aimed at long-term impact on girls’ lives.
