Dubai Cares, in partnership with Plan International, launched the RAISE Above program to strengthen secondary education, skills training, and life and employability skills for vulnerable youth, particularly adolescent girls in Western Samar.

The program addresses key barriers faced by girls and young women, including high dropout rates, limited economic participation, gender-based violence (GBV), and teenage pregnancy. Through a gender-transformative approach, RAISE Above promotes gender equality by supporting girls’ education, economic empowerment, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Key activities include community awareness campaigns, training school counselors on gender sensitivity, engaging community leaders and peer educators, raising GBV awareness, implementing Dropout Reduction Program (DORP) interventions, and offering Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) training to enhance girls’ skills and future opportunities.