Dubai Cares’ RAISE program supported adolescent girls and boys from poor rural households who had dropped out of school or were at risk of dropping out in two of the country’s poorest provinces, Masbate and North Samar. The program employed a dual strategy: first, reducing barriers such as household poverty, gender discrimination, and labor-related constraints; and second, building key social, personal, and material assets for adolescents, especially girls, through quality formal and alternative education opportunities.

The RAISE program provided a unique opportunity to evaluate innovative, holistic, and alternative education models that ensured children and adolescents, particularly girls, acquired the skills and assets necessary to achieve their social, personal, and financial aspirations. Activities under the program included improving access to primary education for children aged 10 to 12 who were at risk of dropping out, with a special focus on girls; enhancing access to secondary education for more marginalized adolescents aged 13 to 19, especially girls; and supporting marginalized adolescents aged 12 to 19, especially girls, to develop stronger social, personal, and financial assets.