In March 2021, luxury brand, Prada united with UNESCO to provide young girls with education in Africa. They developed the joint campaign Keeping Girls Connected to ensure that a new generation of women has access to learning and a secure return to school. It was directed not only to give an in-class education but also to provide online learning opportunities. UNESCO and Prada together aim to create an equitable learning space for girls. This was another successful venture for the two organizations, as UNESCO and Prada had previously partnered to improve ocean literacy and preservation.

The number of girls not attending school was high in Africa even before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to UNESCO, 128 million female students did not attend any academic institution in 2020 before the coronavirus. However, COVID-19 became the reason that even more girls ceased their studies in school. Approximately 24 million additional students will now not go back to academic establishments. Moreover, around 450 million learners cannot access online materials for individual studying. 

Keeping Girls in the Picture

A previous joint project of Prada and UNESCO, Keeping Girls in the Picture, reached up to 360 million people around the world. Prada devoted the profit from the Tools of Memory auction to sponsor UNESCO’s COVID-19 Global Education Coalition’s work on girls’ learning. 

In August 2023, UNESCO and Prada launched boot camps to develop new skills for girls in Kenya. Over 200 young ladies participated in a joint campaign. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) were the main focus of the training provided by UNESCO and Prada. The goal of it was to demonstrate gender equity to the girls and to advocate psychosocial aspects associated with STEM subjects. Young learners obtained a chance to create apps, use 3D printing for their designs and acquire artificial intelligence, coding and robotics. Along with technical opportunities presented for Kenyans, they received the honor of meeting female mentors. This event was helpful to develop stronger confidence and provide a new generation of girls with experience in a male-dominated field. 

Keeping Girls in the Picture helps to equal the rights of males and females in society. Teaching STEM and ICT to a new age group of girls will help eliminate the evident gender gap in this area. 

A Look Ahead

The consequences of Prada’s joint projects with UNESCO helped to improve education for girls in Africa and contributed to narrowing the gap between historically male and female-oriented professions. Eventually, more women will have access to academic resources, which will provide the continent with an opportunity to fight poverty and gain financial independence from the Western world.

–Stephanie Len

Photo: Flickr