Poverty, Low Self-Esteem Pose Greatest Hurdles to Girls' Education in Africa, Says CAMFED
These challenges, Saisha notes, often force them into child marriages, and early pregnancies, and subject them to various forms of abuse.
LILONGWE, Malawi-In the heart of Africa's most marginalised rural communities, girls face formidable challenges that impede their access to education and shatter their academic self-esteem, according to CAMFED Association activist and Senior Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Officer at CAMFED Zambia, Alice Saisha, writes Maureen Kawerama.
Saisha's remarks come on the eve of Women's Equality Day, observed annually on August 26th, with this year's theme being "Embrace Equity," a call to champion social justice through inclusive education.
Across countries including Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Ghana, girls in these underserved regions confront an array of hurdles, including insufficient family income to cover basic needs like food, transportation, school fees, uniforms, and menstrual products necessary to access and remain in school, particularly at the secondary level.
These challenges, Saisha notes, often force them into child marriages, and early pregnancies, and subject them to various forms of abuse.
To combat these issues, CAMFED, also known as the Campaign for Female Education, in partnership with the Yidan Prize Foundation, a global education non-profit, is extending both financial and social support to empower vulnerable girls.
The aim is to boost their academic confidence and self-belief, enabling them to excel in their educational journey and beyond.
"We partner with communities, that select those most in need, and create a network of support around them," explained Saisha.
"For example, we train Teacher Mentors in our programmes to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable children. We also bring together local mothers and fathers in Parent Support Groups, where they can pool resources and skills to grow and cook food for school meals, build school infrastructure, and alert authorities to pressing issues."
CAMFED, an international non-governmental and non-profit organisation founded in 1993, is steadfast in its mission to eradicate poverty in Africa through the education and empowerment of girls and young women.
Their primary focus centres on vulnerable girls and young women in rural areas of the African continent.
As the world reflects on Women's Equality Day, organisations like CAMFED continue to work tirelessly to break down barriers and create a brighter, more equitable future for girls in Africa, emphasising the transformative power of education in achieving this goal.