Creating an Enabling Environment for Adolescent Girls

USAID, in partnership with the government of Egypt, is empowering girls and young women in Upper Egypt by equipping them with key social and economic skills to eliminate violence against girls and young women, including Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) and early marriage. Through community awareness, this program engages parents and leaders in discussions about the protection and empowerment of girls to change perceptions of the roles girls play in their families, society, and the economy. This program also supports the Government of Egypt in its effort to strengthen Egypt’s policy and legal frameworks to provide codified protection and services to survivors and girls at-risk of FGM/C. The program partners with civil society and local governments in Assiut, Aswan, Qena, and Sohag to improve and expand child protection services in the governorates. By providing social, educational, and economic opportunities to girls, this program is reducing gender disparities, enhancing girls’ social and economic status, and contributing to a reduction of harmful practices such as FMG/C.