Zambia is one of the countries with the highest rates of early marriage and unplanned teenage pregnancy. A third of girls are married before they are 18 years old and, in the slums of Kabwe, where poverty is particularly rife, girls as young as 12 are becoming pregnant.
Gender-based violence, discrimination, and early marriage prevent these girls from completing their education. This deprives them of the opportunity to later earn sufficient income and live independently.
Your donation makes a difference! With your help, we can develop measures to minimize teenage pregnancies and school dropouts, and provide support to affected girls so that they can complete their education and earn their own income.
In the poor, rural parts of Zambia, girls are also drawn into transactional sex. The corona pandemic and the accompanying school closures exacerbated the situation. Alongside poverty, the causes of unplanned pregnancy and early marriage include a lack of sexual health education, physical violence and discriminatory cultural practices that prepare girls for sex with men. Not only do these girls suffer as a result of their lost childhood and inadequate education, many often die in childbirth before they reach adulthood. Complications that may often occur because their bodies are not yet fully developed can frequently result in death.
Our project covers an area in Central Province, where patriarchal structures and such harmful practices as child marriage and teenage pregnancy are widespread. The project supports more than 4,000 girls and boys in 15 schools. We work closely with schools, government authorities and traditional leaders. Together, we develop solutions to help government efforts to combat child marriage and early pregnancy and reduce school dropout rates. Our goal is to make schools safe places, where girls can learn without fear of violence or discrimination. We also ensure that sufficient clean drinking water is available in schools.
The schools have “children’s rights clubs”, in which we raise teenagers’ awareness of their rights, show them how to prevent harmful practices and encourage them to exercise their right to an education. They learn what to do and who to turn to when they, or others, are affected by abuse, early marriage or early pregnancy. By organising days of action, producing radio broadcasts and providing information material, we raise awareness of children’s rights and the negative consequences of harmful practices and dropping out of school. Alongside our awareness raising and preventive work, we are committed to child protection: our goal is to reinforce local child protection laws as a means of promoting the rights and well-being of disadvantaged children and young people in the long term.
