New “Enlightenment” for Girls in Upper Egypt

In poverty-wracked Upper Egypt, rural girls are the most disadvantaged group. As their mothers before them, girls there suffer perpetuating cycles of poverty, deprivation and isolation, according to Nihal Elwan of the International Population Council.

The region is extremely conservative. Most girls are illiterate and face the risk of harassment if they leave their homes without a parent or brother. Female genital mutilation is almost universal. Girls traditionally work at home until they are moved from their father’s home to their husband’s home—without having any say in who their new spouse will be, Elwan told an audience of 200 attendees of the Abuja conference on April 28.

The Ishraq (“Enlightenment”) program was initiated in 2001 to create safe public spaces for girls and increase their mobility, skills and knowledge. Ishraq targeted out-of-school girls aged 13-15. Eighty-four percent had never attended school; 53 percent had already been circumcised (and 95 percent anticipated being circumcised); 52 percent had no information on menstruation prior to menarche; and only 56 percent could name the district in which they live.

Ishraq began in four villages (with two villages for control) in the Minya Governorate, one of the poorest regions in Upper Egypt. The villages differed religiously, ethnically and geographically. The intervention lasted 30 months and included two classes per village and four classes per week for 3 hours each. Classes included literacy, life skills and sports.

At the end of the program, 92 percent of those who took the literacy exam passed it and 66 percent reentered the education system.

Ishraq is going to be a nationwide program and is going to be transferred to Egypt’s National Council of Youth.

Brian W. Simpson, editor of Johns Hopkins Public Health magazine.