Overview
The Community-Led Collective Action for Girls Education (C-CAGE) project was developed by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) with support from the Malala Fund to confront one of Adamawa State’s most pressing educational challenges: the systemic exclusion of girls from quality education. With community-driven solutions at its core, the project aimed to boost enrolment, retention, and completion rates of girls in public primary and secondary schools across three Local Government Areas, Numan, Song, and Maiha; each representing a senatorial district in the state.
The project focused on transforming systems, social norms, and attitudes that obstruct girls’ access to education, using a grassroots approach designed to ignite community ownership and long-term impact.
Justification: Why This Matters
Findings from Centre LSD’s baseline study were stark:
- Over 886,000 school-age children are out of school in Adamawa; 459,644 of them are girls.
- In Maiha LGA, 66.7% of eligible girls are out of school.
- Numan and Song LGAs show similarly alarming numbers, with over 10,000 and 30,000 girls out of school, respectively.
- While initial enrolment may be gender-balanced, female retention drops significantly as students advance.
Contributing factors included deep-seated cultural and religious beliefs, poverty, insecurity, lack of female role models, and poor school infrastructure, especially in remote and underserved communities.
Implementation Strategy
C-CAGE approached the crisis through a blend of research, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and empowerment programming:
✔ Baseline Survey
Conducted across the three LGAs to identify specific barriers, ranging from weak infrastructure to harmful gender norms and limited parental awareness.
✔ Capacity Building
Centre LSD trained 275 teachers and SBMC members on community mobilization and advocacy for girls' education. These local champions were empowered to influence change from within.
✔ Advocacy Engagement
Targeted visits to key stakeholders in the education ecosystem laid the groundwork for better policies, while town hall meetings allowed communities to engage directly with project findings.
✔ Peer Learning Clubs — MASU SON ILIMI
Clubs were created for both in-school and out-of-school girls, promoting literacy, vocational training, life skills, and self-confidence. One such club was established in Pare Girls’ Junior Secondary School following a town hall meeting by the Wakili of Numan.
✔ Local Ownership Structures
To ensure continuity, Centre LSD established Education Committees in each LGA. These groups continue to campaign for policy implementation and mobilize communities around the cause of girls’ education.
✔ Media Amplification
Engagement with traditional and social media significantly expanded the project’s visibility. TV spots, radio programs, press features, and documentaries helped normalize the conversation around girls’ right to education.
Key Results
- 275 stakeholders trained across Numan, Song, and Maiha.
- Peer learning clubs were created in all 3 LGAs.
- Strengthened media and public discourse around girls' education.
- Sparked community-led advocacy for educational reform and inclusion.
- Built localized education committees to drive sustainability.
Looking Forward
The C-CAGE project proved that lasting change begins with local ownership. By investing in the people closest to the issue - teachers, families, traditional leaders, and the girls themselves, Centre LSD laid a sustainable foundation for change.
With continued support and wider replication, the model can contribute to eradicating the gender education gap not only in Adamawa but across Nigeria’s northern states.
