Combating early marriage and teenage pregnancy in rural Zambia through education and empowerment

In rural Zambia, early marriage and teenage pregnancy have forced many girls and young women out of school, depriving them of educational opportunities and putting them at greater risk of poverty and health issues. In the first quarter of 2023 alone, the country’s Eastern and North Western provinces each reported more than 700 teenage pregnancies.

 

To address this, the Zambia Scouts Association launched the “Give Me a Future, Not a Husband" project with support from the Messengers of Peace Support Fund. The initiative empowers women and girls, helping them return to school, providing support for their children, and equipping them with skills to improve their economic prospects.

 

The project, led by Scouts in Zambia, is supporting 20 women and girls with schooling and entrepreneurship training to start their own small businesses. Scouts are also leading efforts to raise awareness among communities on the importance of education for girls, the risks associated with early marriage, and its potential effects on children and societies.

Inspired by past successes in Nakonde, a town on the country’s border with Tanzania where local leaders helped reintegrate 50 girls back into school, the project aims to reduce rates of teenage pregnancy and early marriage by using non-formal education to promote behavioural change, and remove key barriers faced by girls so that they can continue in formal education. So far, 108 young people and 25 adults have benefited directly, with 20 girls and their children reintegrated into the school system. Here, Scouts have played a crucial role as volunteers in the project, providing support and community awareness.

 

“My parents forced me to get married at the age of 14. I’m happy to be nominated as a recipient of the support from the project after my family was convinced. My parents were counselled and sensitised against early marriages and they repented,” shared 16-year-old Bertha, who benefited from the project. “I am so grateful to the Scouts for this very important initiative and I urge them to continue in all districts of the province to help the girls who are falling victim to this issue every day.”

 

The project also reached 635 others in local communities through advocacy activities. Government support has been instrumental in identifying beneficiaries and providing support. “Give me a Future, Not a Husband” has seen strong support from the government in Zambia’s Eastern province, helping identifying 20 girls from early marriage in the districts of Kasenengwa, Sinda, Chipangali, Chipata and Petauke, and equipping them with school uniforms, shoes, books, bags, pens, and pencils in addition to securing places for them in schools. To help them further, the project offers each mother monthly nutritional support for her baby. 

The impact the Scouts have achieved in through the project extends beyond the victims of early marriage, and into the community at large. By sensitising communities and raising awareness of the harmful consequences of early marriage on young people, it is hoped that families will not repeat these actions with other children. 

 

“This project came to rescue me from [my] marriage and counselled my parents against giving their children into early marriage. They now understand the disadvantages of that and promised not to do it again. I am glad that it has also saved my other siblings going forward. I thank Scouts for this, God bless them,” said 16-year-old Faith, a beneficiary of the initiative.

 

Future plans for the project include sustaining nutritional support, enhancing skills development, and continuing sensitisation efforts. The Zambia Scouts Association integrates early marriage education and advocacy into its annual interventions to continue the progress of the project, and achieve a significant reduction in early marriage rates, while ensuring girls remain in school.

 

------