Participatory action research to advance Girls’ vision for the future in education
By IDRC - GPE KIX secretariat

Gender equality in and through education has improved over the last two decades as a result of empowering girls through their voices, actions and leadership.
Despite this progress, 122 million girls remain out of school (UNESCO, 2024) and nearly 1 in 5 girls do not complete lower secondary school (UN, 2024). Girls continue to encounter distinct challenges that impede their education, such as child marriage or school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV). While the latter affects both girls and boys, girls are at higher risk of sexual violence from peers or teachers and on their way to school. Furthermore, systemic inequalities in quality of education remains a critical challenge. Girls often face gender biases in the curriculum, teacher attitudes, and school management (UNESCO GMR, 2022).
Change is possible. GPE KIX funded research tests and adapts existing solutions that are ready to scale and accelerate progress in education towards girls' vision for the future.
Participatory action research to raise awareness, prevent and address SRGBV
The project Strategies to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and foster equity in rural schools in Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua found that when school facilities are designed with a gender-responsive approach, they can significantly boost girls' well-being, attendance, and academic achievement. Features such as separate and clean restrooms, well-lit pathways, and secure classrooms contribute to a sense of safety and dignity.
The project’s use of participatory action research with principals, teachers, families and students, in particular girls, deepened their understanding of SRGBV and facilitated the development of tailored, locally relevant solutions. In Haiti and Honduras, the project’s approach significantly increased awareness of SRGBV in rural schools (CLADE, 2024). In Nicaragua and Honduras, it led to the implementation of surveillance measures, such as establishing monitoring zones in high-risk areas including roads, school routes, bathrooms, and playgrounds (CLADE, 2024).
According to Nelsy Lizarazo Castro, Coordinator of the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE), and leader of the project, participatory research was the best approach to amplify girls’ voices and to find allies who listen to and respond to their needs.
“If students, teachers and families don't see the violence, they will not be able to change it. It's not a question of showing them this violence. It's a question of giving them tools so that they can identify it, question it and find their own alternatives to eliminate and prevent it. Participatory action research allows you to do this, because it is the subjects themselves who become researchers”. – Nelsy Lizarazo Castro
Participatory action research to improve quality of education for marginalized girls
Developed by CAMFED, the Learner Guide program aims to support girls in secondary school to strengthen self-development and foundational learning skills. Mentorship and role modelling is provided by Learner Guides, young women who volunteer in schools to deliver a structured life skills and well-being curriculum called My Better World.
GPE KIX research Scaling a Youth-led Social Support and Mentorship Program to Improve Quality of Education for Marginalized Girls in Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, found that the Learner Guide program helped improve marginalized girls’ secondary school attendance and completion, as well as their literacy and academic performance (Mgonda & Ciampi, 2023; Maambo & Ciampi, 2023; Chimuka & Ciampi, 2023). Government officials from all three countries recognize its importance, identifying Learner Guides as a priority to integrate the program within their national education systems (Ciampi et al., 2023).
“The Learner Guide program provides learners with a mode to address sensitive issues which the teachers have difficulty to address due to power dynamics between the teacher and the learner” - Representative from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
The project used participatory action research to engage local education stakeholders and policymakers. It established national scaling advisory committees that conducted school visits to observe Learner Guides in action. For Lydia Wilbard, Executive Director of CAMFED, it was important that the young women facilitating this program were part of the people sitting at the table in this participatory research.
“We wanted to have them bring out their own experiences of implementing the youth-led mentorship program and life skills and how they have seen themselves transformed by it.” – Lydia Wilbard
Learn more on implementing participatory action research to advance gender equality in and through education
In this new Study Group Session podcast, Nelsy Lizarazo Castro, and Lydia Wilbard discuss the nuances of implementing participatory action research to advance gender equality in and through education.
Nelsy Lizarazo Castro is an educator and communicator, activist for nonviolence and General Coordinator of CLADE. Lydia Wilbard is the Executive Director of CAMFED and a gender equality advocate with over 15 years of experience in forging multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance girls’ education and women's leadership.
They share how GPE KIX participatory action research addressed issues that affect girls directly, ensuring that the research design and findings reflect their perspectives, priorities and visions for the future.
Content for the Study Group Sessions podcast and for this blog were provided by Dr. Kate Grantham and Dr. Leva Rouhani who worked on the synthesis of GPE KIX projects focussing on gender quality in and through education. Study Group Sessions is produced by Anti-Heroine Media.