BASELINE STUDY FOR THE "EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND SKILLS (RAJO KAABA)" PROJECT IN GALMUDUG STATE, SOMALIA

1\. BACKGROUND
1.1. Sectoral and Institutional Context Education is regarded as a cornerstone of state rebuilding, as the country aims to lay the groundwork for economic growth and social development by investing in its population. The significance of education in state development is emphasized in the National Development Plan and further articulated in the Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026. Though not fully codified in law, the Federal Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education (MoECHE) is responsible for the overall guidance and administration of education in the country, while Somalia’s Federal Member States (FMS) are responsible for policy implementation and service delivery, in their respective states.
**Girls’ and Women’s Education in Somalia**

Women’s basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy, are low both in absolute terms and relative to men in Somalia. Nationwide, an estimated 56 percent of women of age 15 years or older cannot read compared to 41 percent of men. In recent years, Somalia has made progress in getting more girls in school: the share of women and girls from age of 10 to 19 years without any formal education is half that of women over age 35. This gradual improvement in access to basic education is a substantial achievement against a backdrop of crisis. Despite this progress, more than 40 percent of girls remain excluded even in the youngest cohort. While women’s education attainment and literacy are lower than men’s across the board, there are also unequal outcomes across different groups of women: approximately 72 percent of women of age 25 years or older, who live in rural areas, have never attended formal schooling, compared to 59 percent in urban areas. For women who are nomads or in internally displaced person (IDP) settlements, this percentage reaches 83 percent. Though the national literacy rate for women is 44 percent, for rural women it is 35 percent, and among nomadic women it is 10 percent.
**1.2