Education

Girls and women are encouraged to pursue formal education whenever possible. Where a survivor faces risks in leaving the shelter to attend a regular school, she is instead enrolled in the literacy class at the safe house. One of the safe houses in Addis Ababa is exclusively for girls who attend regular schools. In all AWSAD’s safe houses, student survivors are supplied with uniforms, school supplies, transportation costs and other inputs they require.

Several survivors from the Addis Ababa safe house have graduated from high school and moved on to university. AWSAD continues its support to survivors attending their studies in universities in the form of monthly stipends, funds for expenses such as transportation and food and personal items. For the two-month break every academic year, the survivors return to stay at the safe house. A number of survivors have graduated or are working toward their first degree from university in disciplines such as engineering, medicine, IT and Marketing.