The community of Agostinho Neto, district of Lobata, was the chosen scenery for the launching of the project "Empowerment of Girls" that has as main objective the accomplishment of the national strategy of gender.

It is a project made up of the following components: increased technical business capacity through UNICEF, increased access to finance for startups led by women in vulnerable situations through UNDP, increased capacity of women-led startup associations through ILO, and increased education-related safety nets available for girls in vulnerable situations through UNICEF.

The project targets girls aged 18-24 who have experienced early pregnancy, are at risk of dropping out of school and those who have dropped out for some reason.

At the time, the Minister of Youth, Vinício Pina, underlined the importance of the project because "we have seen in recent times, an increasing number of this section of the population of school age abandoning their studies, especially in this pandemic period due to various factors, mainly economic, social, financial, among others, especially young women, which may be perfectly reversed with this project in a well defined way, implemented to combat this growing index that graces our society.

Throughout the project, training in entrepreneurship will be implemented as a tool of capital importance capable of allowing girls to be better integrated in society so that they can be their own solutions, those of their families and of society.

The UNICEF representative said that "we should work so that each family, each woman, each youth, each adolescent and each child can enjoy a family life, a social context favourable to their health and well-being and development. In fact, as you know, women, girls and children are unfortunately the most affected, especially as regards the socio-economic impacts of this pandemic.

The project lasts 3 months and is supported by UNICEF, UNDP and ILO to build the capacities of 180 girls who have dropped out of school by providing training in life skills, sex education and sewing, entrepreneurship, etc.

The project aims to make the girls attend school and be informed about professional opportunities and develop other skills in women empowerment.