Proposals for conducting of baseline study for the Girls Access to Education (GATE) Project in Sierra Leone.

Rationale and purpose of the baseline study

The objective of the baseline study is to establish benchmarks for effective project planning and implementation as well as form the basis for the progressive monitoring of the achievement of the planned outputs and results through the collection of quantitative and qualitative facts, figures and indicators of the situation at the beginning of the GATE project. Furthermore, it will provide information on the specific needs of schools in order to ensure that adolescent girls stay in schools and feel safe to learn. The findings will be used to inform specific project interventions to make schools safer for girls and encourage their participation. The findings will also be used to understand the current attitudes towards girls’ education in general and particularly with regards to SRGBV and to firmly establish the stereotypes as well social cultural attitudes that may be barriers to girls’ education. Primary data collection will identify the issues and bottlenecks which impede girls’ participation and retention in schools and will be used to tailor-make effective responses and strategies.