Project Manzil Inspires Young Girls to Seek Aspiring Careers

Smile Foundation, under its Project Manzil initiative, has now provided employability training to around 14,000 young girls and enabled on-the-job training for another 5,000 girls to secure their future. The Foundation has encouraged the girls by enrolling them in vocational education courses.

Manzil’s girl-centered initiatives (both in-school and out-of-school) based on skills, information, and stakeholder engagement aid significantly in addressing the socio-economic constraints that contribute to early marriage. For instance, evidence shows that adolescent girls with employability skills and prospects of employment are less likely to marry early. Economic empowerment of women also helps girls exercise more influence within the household and on issues like the age of marriage.

Project Manzil is a five-year project funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and is implemented by IPE Global. The in-school component of training is implemented by Smile Foundation. This initiative aims to increase retention of girls in schools and ensure effective transition from school to higher studies and/or work by making available training in vocational skills in schools, along with apprenticeships and jobs for out-of-school adolescent girls (15-19 years).