The GEAR Alliance Project
The Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR) project supported by Education Out Loud emerged in 2021 as a regional initiative for transnational advocacy focused on girl’s education and broader intersecting health rights – a commitment made by students and youth at the 3rd edition of SAYWHAT’s Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference (SARSYC III).
Implementing Partners: Farming Communities Educational Trust (FACET) in Zimbabwe, Girls Activist Youth Organization (GAYO) in Malawi and National Action for Quality Education (NAQEZ) in Zambia being led by SAYWHAT are all members of the GEAR Alliance implementing the GEAR Project.
GEAR 1.0: Through its collaborative, transnational approach, the Alliance implemented GEAR 1.0 (2021–2024) seeking to amplify the voices of marginalized girls, influence policy reforms, and foster accountability at national, regional, and global levels. The project goal was to ensure inclusive and equitable access to quality education by adolescent girls and young women in rural and farming communities in Southern Africa.
GEAR 2.0: In 2024, GEAR was renewed for another 3-year project implementation introducing a more complex and ambitious agenda informed by lessons from Phase 1, evolving regional dynamics, and the recognition that persistent gaps such as weak accountability, limited data on government commitments, and the need for adaptive, evidence-based advocacy.
The alliance understands that there are progressive international treaties that governments in SADC are signatories to e.g., SADC Protocol on Education and Training (1997), Dakar Framework for Action (2000). Nonetheless despite national, regional, and global commitments to inclusive and equitable education, girls and young women in rural and farming communities across Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe remain systematically excluded from quality learning opportunities.
