Adolescent Education

Early adolescence is a period of complex transitions for many young people, which is compounded in low-resource settings that tend to exacerbate challenges. Therefore, education is critical for providing young people with a sense of stability and security to remain in primary school and move on to attain their secondary education.

World Vision believes in fostering a safe learning environment to increase primary school retention, completion, and transition to secondary, especially for the most vulnerable girls and boys — including children with disabilities. Globally, physical and psychological punishment, verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual violence in schools have been repeatedly reported as reasons for absenteeism, dropping out, and lack of motivation for academic achievement. World Vision is responding to reduce absenteeism and drop-out rates by cultivating school environments that are free from gender-based violence, which disproportionately affects girls.

Safe and Nurturing Schools approach
World Vision implemented the Safe and Nurturing Schools approach in Malawi to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in and around schools. The program uses a whole-school approach, building school leadership and community engagement to create safe learning environments. It includes establishing a code of conduct, enhancing the capacity of teachers and educational staff, and empowering children with knowledge of their rights, participation, and equality.

Baseline findings indicated several potential drivers of school-related gender-based violence, such as community acceptance of violence, reluctance to report incidents, cultural and societal beliefs about traditional gender roles, and child marriage.

World Vision’s Safe and Nurturing Schools approach is featured in the Social Norms Atlas in the Education Sector section as an example of programming that addresses social norms in education. This intervention was also adopted in similar contexts, such as in Mozambique (through the USAID-supported Advancing Girls Education program) and in Zambia (supported by the Educate a Child Foundation), to address school-related gender-based violence and ensure children’s safety in schools.

Teens Ready
World Vision staff in Central America developed Teens Ready for adolescents aged 12 to 17 to foster continued motivation for learning and equip young people with the skills to contribute to their communities as they approach adulthood. Teens Ready aims to reduce dropout rates and boost motivation through engaging activities in art, sports, science, and technology. The program promotes a positive identity, enhances social integration, helps adolescents explore vocational interests, and strengthens their sense of purpose and belonging.

Teens Ready was introduced in 2024 in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as part of the RISE Project. To date, over 6,100 adolescents have completed the program. The curriculum has garnered widespread enthusiasm among teachers, and the project is collaborating with Ministries of Education in the three countries to expand the curriculum’s reach.