The Pathways Project recognizes that the road out of poverty is long and filled with obstacles. Girls and young women need life skills like confidence, assertiveness and critical thinking to be able to navigate the risks and overcome the challenges.
The Pathways Project provides opportunities for girls and young women to learn these essential skills in a safe, secure and youth-friendly environment. Each month, we develop workshops responding to the critical needs of the girls and young women in our program.
One month we focused on reproductive health education and, in partnership with Days for Girls, each girl and young woman in our program received a sanitary pad kit. Another month we focused on building healthy relationships, and the girls and young women in our program learned to identify unhealthy behaviors and what to do if they encounter an unhealthy relationship. Each workshop is different and specifically tailored to the needs of our participants.
This project invests in girlhood. The life skills activities for the girls are intentionally play-based. The girls we serve spend their free time on chores, such as collecting and hauling firewood and fetching water. They rarely have the opportunity to be girls. Play helps children to process their emotions and experiences and learn life skills that can’t be taught through books — it gives girls the opportunity to be girls.