90 Teachers. 20 Schools. One Goal: Keep Girls in Class.

In Bauchi State, the barriers keeping girls out of school are rarely single or simple. A girl may be pulled out to marry, or because the walk to school is unsafe, or because a teacher's attitude makes the classroom feel unwelcoming. Removing one barrier while leaving the others in place does not change the outcome.

YLN's SAGE program — Sustainable Advocacy for Girls' Education, delivered in partnership with the Malala Fund — takes a whole-school approach. The core intervention is teacher training, because teachers are the adults young people interact with most.

Bauchi State — YLN Program Activity

Over 90 teachers across 20+ schools in Bauchi State have now completed the SAGE teacher training — covering gender-responsive pedagogy, child protection protocols, how to identify early marriage, and how to create a classroom culture where girls feel confident to speak.

“Before the training, I didn't think carefully about which students I called on. Now I make sure every girl in my class has an equal chance to speak.”

The results are visible in the data. Participating schools report increased girls' enrolment and improved retention. Teachers describe changes in their own classroom behaviour — calling on girls more equally and speaking more openly about girls' education with parents.

The program is complemented by the Pad Bank initiative — a community-run menstrual hygiene resource network ensuring no girl misses class because she cannot access sanitary products. In months when Pad Bank points are active, schools report zero menstruation-related absences.