San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire – In a classroom transformed into a place of trust where girls feel heard, ninth-grade student Grâce Déborah explains how participating in a Safe Space has changed the way she sees her future.

“I was afraid someone would tell me that I had changed. But now I have confidence in myself,” she says assuredly. “I know I am going to do great things when I grow up.”

Behind this personal transformation is an approach supporting thousands of adolescent girls across West and Central Africa. Today, Côte d’Ivoire’s experience is helping another country, The Gambia, prepare to establish its own Safe Spaces through SWEDD+.

A Gambian delegation travelled to San Pedro to understand not only how the Ivorian model works, but also the conditions behind its success, the challenges encountered and the solutions developed. The objective is not to replicate the model exactly, but to adapt its lessons to the Gambian context.

“Our mission in Côte d’Ivoire is to learn as much as possible from the model the country has implemented so that we can build on its success in establishing Safe Spaces,” explains Isatou S. Jallow, Senior Education Officer at The Gambia’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

Acting before difficulties become crises

Safe Spaces bring adolescent girls together regularly with trained mentors. There, they can discuss self-confidence, health, gender-based violence, child marriage, education, life skills and their aspirations.

SWEDD supports two complementary models: school-based Safe Spaces, which are integrated into educational institutions to help girls remain in school, and community-based Safe Spaces, which reach girls who are out of school or have dropped out, particularly in the most vulnerable areas.

These spaces do more than provide information. By building relationships of trust, they enable girls to discuss the challenges they face, strengthen their decision-making skills and seek help before a situation jeopardizes their future.

This approach reflects a central principle of social and behaviour change communication: knowledge alone is rarely enough to change life trajectories. Girls also need practical skills, positive role models and supportive family, school and community environments.

Lessons ready to be put into practice

The Gambia has already identified three pilot regions. The visit to Côte d’Ivoire highlighted several conditions that will be essential for successful implementation.

The first is placing adolescent girls at the centre of the process. Rather than delivering lectures, mentors encourage participation and dialogue, creating opportunities for girls to raise concerns that may be difficult to discuss elsewhere.

“The way they work in these Safe Spaces is so engaging that it makes learning easier. In other words, they interact with the children, who are at the heart of the lessons delivered by their mentor,” says Isatou S. Jallow.

The second lesson is the importance of engaging parents and communities. Their understanding and support are essential—not only to enable girls to attend the sessions, but also to reinforce the changes encouraged through mentoring beyond the Safe Spaces.

The model can also be adapted to the resources available. It does not necessarily require a dedicated building or specific infrastructure. What matters is having a place where a girl and her mentor feel safe enough to speak openly. This flexibility makes the model easier to introduce in rural and resource-constrained settings.

Visible changes in schools

At Lycée Moderne Lucien Yebarth in San Pedro, the effects of the Safe Spaces can be seen in girls’ attitudes towards school. “Since the project arrived here, girls have been staying in school longer. They are becoming increasingly interested in their education, and the results on the ground demonstrate this,” explains Amara Bakayoko, Deputy Headteacher.

Safe Spaces also give girls access to support that complements what they receive from their families. “It allows a child to develop close relationships with those supporting her. It also allows her to discuss her needs with people outside her family,” he adds.

This trust can bring to light risks that might otherwise remain hidden. Djai Bi Yapi Eulalie, a teacher and mentor, recalls how one adolescent girl was able to disclose the sexual violence she was experiencing in her host household and be referred to a safer living arrangement.

She also remembers a participant who could no longer see any purpose in attending school. Through the mentoring sessions, the girl gradually regained her confidence, found renewed purpose in her education and began to imagine an ambitious professional future: becoming a judge.

Turning national experience into a regional resource

The visit also confirmed that Safe Spaces cannot succeed in isolation. Their effectiveness depends on coordination among ministries, schools, mentors, families and communities. “No institution can successfully carry out this project alone. We must therefore join forces and work together to empower girls and women,” says Isatou S. Jallow.

This is the value of South–South cooperation through SWEDD+: enabling countries to share not only tools, but also the practical knowledge needed to use them effectively. By examining what works, learning from challenges and adapting solutions to local realities, countries can accelerate progress and avoid encountering the same obstacles.

For The Gambia, the lessons are clear: engage communities from the outset, place girls at the centre of learning, use available spaces flexibly and build strong coordination among institutions.

The experience of an adolescent girl like Grâce Déborah therefore becomes more than an individual success. Shared across countries, it helps shape a regional roadmap for enabling more girls to remain in school, seek support and build their own futures.