Kelemuwa Abebayehu, 16, is a seventh-grade student at Mehaliwonz Primary School in Ankober, Amhara Region. This is one of the schools targeted by Professional Alliance for Development (PADet), a local CSO, under its European Union Civil Society Fund Phase III (CSF III) project. She lives with her family consisting of her sister, three brothers, mother, and grandmother. Farming is their main source of income, although this is insufficient to meet their basic needs.

Kelemuwa dropped out of school at the start of the 2020/2021 academic year, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. She relocated to Debre Birhan, the zonal capital, and began working as a domestic house worker. She faced an additional challenge after changing two employers' houses within three months.

When the school director and girls’ club leader discovered Kelemuwa’s absence and subsequent dropping out from school, they immediately notified the Heads of the local Women’s Watch Groups (WWGs), which were established and supported through PADet’s EU project. In addition, the Kebele (sub-district) Women’s Affairs bureau and a paralegal service provider became involved.

Kebele community groups held discussions and attempted to consult with her mother to bring Kelemuwa back to her education. Even though her mother was willing to continue her child's education, she claimed that she did not have enough money to cover her school expenses, and the local administration assisted in bringing Kelemuwa back. Her school allowed its girls’ club to cover Kelemuwa's school material expenses. Meanwhile, the respective kebele committees worked with a local NGO via the referral link. As a result, Kelemuwa's mother was hired as a daily labourer at a nursery site at Mehali Wonz in their village, where she now earns ETB 47.00 per day.

To ensure gender equality, the PADet-EU Ankober project is raising awareness and providing a safe school environment for girls, as well as sharing relevant information with the school and wider community by enlisting the help of community facilitators, paralegal service providers, and schoolgirls’ club leaders.

According to data obtained from the Ankober Woreda (District) Education Office, a total of 11,290 students attend school in Ankober Woreda, with 5,561 of them being females in Grades 1-8. In the 2020/2021 academic year, 268 girls dropped out of school.