Current Situation:
- High female dropout rate
- Low female literacy rate
- High teen pregnancy rate/community encourages early childbearing
- Distinguishing gender roles encouraged by the community, women are encouraged to prioritize housework/home-keeping
- Skin bleaching trend
- Female students feel they’re in need of mentor/someone to speak to about female-specific issues
- No female teachers at school (female teachers not inclined to work in rural areas)
- Government not adequately paying/employing teachers
Proposed Solution:
- Employ female teachers who will board at school
- Offer higher salary to give women incentives to leave a city job
- Rehabilitate female staff quarters to offer more attractive housing
- Develop female-teacher run guidance counseling program (sex education, post-graduate planning, office hours, etc.)
- Rehabilitate campus building to provide private counseling office
- Create female student group to discuss issues and connect with and inspire one another
- Provide room (near counseling office) for student group to meet/hold workshops
- Create school-wide student assignments and collaborations to bring awareness about inspiring/powerful women in Sub-Saharan Africa
Long-Term Impact:
- Promote gender equality
- Decrease female dropout rate and increase college admissions
- Increase female literacy rate
- Develop career skills
- Support students to return and teach at BHS after college
