Focus Area
Womens Empowerment
Location
Beneficiaries
One Girl - Girls at risk of early marriage, pregnancy, and poverty-related school exclusion
Safavi's Role
Past funding partner
Key Impact
Scholarships provided to hundreds of girls; direct support addressing education, safety, food access, and long-term graduation outcomes
Project Overview
In partnership with One Girl, this initiative provided comprehensive, needs-based scholarships to girls in Sierra Leone and Uganda, covering everything from books and fees to uniforms and meals. But the support extended far beyond materials. By addressing the lived realities that prevent girls from staying in school, forced marriage, early pregnancy, and extreme poverty, the program created a scaffold of emotional, logistical, and social support designed to carry each girl all the way to graduation. This work reflected the belief that education is not a luxury, but a lever for generational change.
Beneficiary Profile
The primary beneficiaries were girls aged 10–18 across rural and urban areas of Sierra Leone and Uganda. These students faced multiple, intersecting barriers:
Forced marriage: 44% of girls in Sierra Leone are married before age 18
Teen pregnancy: A leading cause of school dropout, often linked to poverty, coercion, and survival-based sex
Economic exclusion: With 70% of families living on less than $2 a day, school was often financially out of reach—and boys were prioritized when resources were scarce
These girls were not just students-in-waiting; they were future change agents held back by systemic inequality. OneGirl’s work—and Safavi’s support—aimed to remove those barriers.
Safavi's Role
Safavi served as a philanthropic funding partner, supporting One Girl’s scholarship programs during an earlier phase of implementation. While not involved in direct program delivery, Safavi’s contributions helped:
Cover essential school costs (uniforms, books, fees, shoes, etc.)
Launch the Lunch Fund, supporting daily food access through community-run stalls
Enable regular check-ins and responsive support for girls navigating complex family and community dynamics
Sustain longitudinal support, allowing girls to remain in the program through graduation
This funding phase has since concluded, but Safavi continues to monitor the education equity space and the long-term impact of its prior support.
Project Gallery
Photo Credit: One Girl
Impact Achieved
Active in 45 schools across 69 communities
Addressed multiple pathways of exclusion: early marriage, pregnancy, hunger, financial hardship
Scholarships extended from primary through senior school, with consistent individual follow-up
Created safe space for re-entry to education for girls who had dropped out
Supported the pilot of a post-graduation Alumni Program, offering vocational training, computer classes, and peer support opportunities for graduates
These efforts helped many girls achieve educational milestones that would have otherwise been unreachable in their contexts.
Purpose & Signifigance
Safavi supported the OneGirl scholarship initiative because it embodied a holistic, human-centered approach to gender equity and education. Rather than offering education in isolation, the program met girls in the realities of their lives—with dignity, patience, and sustained support. It demonstrated that when we invest not just in access, but in resilience and belonging, we don’t just change individual futures—we disrupt cycles of generational disadvantage. This aligns with Safavi’s mission to support deeply rooted, equity-driven change.
Future Outlook
This initiative is no longer receiving active funding from Safavi but remains an area of interest. We are monitoring the space for continued progress, particularly as One Girl pilots new alumni programs and expands post-graduation pathways. Our past support helped establish meaningful infrastructure, and we remain committed to following the broader outcomes and sector evolution.
