How Fatouma was able to continue her schooling after school closures due to COVID-19 in Mali

The work being carried out has a multiplier effect beyond the completion of the project: more villages are getting involved, radios continue to convey messages about girls' education and new materials are being translated.

As a result of the activities that have been carried out, the Timbuktu Academy of Education has received an increasing number of requests for supplementary awareness-raising activities and materials on girls' education from educational centres and schools that have not been

reached by the project. Community leaders also mobilized and unanimously committed to supporting the continued learning of girls and their return to school through information and awareness-raising activities.

According to the director of the Timbuktu Academy of Education for the 2021-2022 school year, some 15 schools have reopened following awareness-raising sessions organized under the project. The project materials have also been distributed among the educational activity centres in six regions to serve as a model for youth awareness activities.

Fatouma advocates for girls' education and looks forward to the next stage: "I would like to continue my studies and become a doctor to save children and help girls who are victims of violence and forced marriages. I urge all girls to continue their education, because the future of the Timbuktu region depends on it."

More advocacy and awareness-raising activities should be undertaken to ensure that girls continue to learn and to safeguard progress on gender equality in and through education. This work has contributed to the flagship Gender Equality programme of UNESCO's Global Education Coalition and has been funded by Wallonie-Bruxelles International.