Safe boarding facilities a gateway to girls' education in Sinazongwe
By Kambani Phiri - Communications Specialist, Zambia
Lack of boarding facilities and secondary schools is one of the major contributing factors to child marriages in Zambia. Pupils, especially girls, are forced to rent houses near their schools to attend lessons; which has put them at risk of being abused by unscrupulous men who take advantage of their vulnerable state.
Most girls who rent such houses can neither afford nor sustain payment of rentals. As such, they resort to going out with older men to support their livelihoods.
According to the National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage 2016-2021, 31 % of women marry before their 18th birthday. Adolescent girls continue to die from complications arising from early childbearing, and both girls and boys continue to drop out of the school system before completing their education; therefore reducing their chances of escaping poverty.
Due to child marriage, every year, many young girls’ right to education is deprived as they are taken out of school for marriage. Girls living in poverty and rural areas face a higher risk of child marriage; especially those without access to education.
To protect and promote girls’ education in Sinazongwe, World Vision, with funding from Lake Grove Church, constructed safe boarding facilities to accommodate vulnerable girls' schooling at Mamba GRZ Basic School.
“My legs used to pain every day. I was almost quitting school because my home was too far”, says 17-year-old Mercy, a pupil at Mamba GRZ Basic School.
Mercy is one of the many girls whose home is over eight kilometres from school. For her, it was either she continues walking the 16-kilometre distance to and from the school or quit school entirely. “If not for this 'Safe-House', I would have stopped schooling", she explains. "The distances were causing my legs to pain, and I was always tired. I could not even study when home. I have friends who are staying in rented houses near the school, but I do not have money to join and stay with them”.
She further adds that the safe house was not just providing her with an opportunity, but it is her home.
“The Safe-House is my home, and I am delighted to be here because I have time to concentrate on school work", says Mercy. "Without the Safe-House, I would have dropped out of school because my place is quite far. I am doing my Grade 12, all thanks to World Vision and the school authority for this safe house. I don’t lack anything; I am given full meals, we have a study room and comfortable beds, and above all, a matron who is our mother in this house.”
Another student, 18-year-old Mary, a graduate from the safe house says that the house rescued her dreams of completing secondary education.
“I used to live with my mother; my father died when I was in grade five", she says. "When I wrote my Grade Seven examination and passed, I thought I would never go to school again because my mother could not afford to pay for school fees and accommodation. But when the Safe-House Coordinator approached me, I was helped and accommodated. For me, this was a life-changing moment because I was bound to get married. The Safe-House gave me hope for a better future. Thanks to the house, I completed my secondary education.”
Mamba GRZ Basic School Headteacher and Chairperson of the safe house committee, Mrs. Machola, notes that the house has contributed to the improved performance of girls at the school.
“This Safe-House has resulted in the increased pass rate by the girls at this school", she says. "At the moment, it can accommodate 32 girls. This has helped to cushion from the challenges of distances faced by vulnerable girls in the communities. As a school, we are pleased that the Safe-House is located within the school vicinity; this makes it easy for us to coordinate and monitor the activities of the house.”