Zambia

Education & Economic Outlook for Girls in Zambia

In Zambia, the educational landscape for secondary school girls presents significant challenges and opportunities. Girls in Zambia face barriers to accessing quality education, including financial constraints and cultural norms that often prioritize boys’ education over girls’. The government has made efforts to address these issues by eliminating school fees and increasing the number of teachers, which is intended to keep vulnerable learners, especially adolescent girls, in school (The United Nations in Zambia).

Looking at future employment prospects, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24 is high, with many young women entering informal employment or remaining unemployed. Vulnerable employment among women is 80.1% and among men is 60.6% in Zambia (World Bank); these are jobs least likely to have formal work arrangements, social protection, or stability in hard economic times. Only 15% of women hold seats in national parliament and 16% hold office at the local level (World Bank).

About EIRWA

Empowerment Initiative for Rural Women and Adolescents, Zambia, works to enhance rural girls and women’s access to information on SRHR, education and skills training. They support women with economic projects to contribute to their achievement of financial liberation, improve their contribution to household income and reduce their dependency on male wage earners. This has a positive ripple effect on the women’s lives as it amplifies their voices, boosts their confidence and enables them to contribute to decision-making in the home and at the community level.

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Daring Girls currently supports one partner in Zambia through the Binti Shupavu International Pilot.

Empowerment Initiative for Rural Women and Adolescents (EIRWA) was selected in 2024 as the first Daring Girls and GLAMI partner to localize and implement the Binti Shupavu mentoring program in Zambia.

EIRWA has partnered with two schools in rural Rufunsa District: Mpanshya Secondary and Nkoholoma Secondary.

How EIRWA is Adapting Binti Shupavu for Zambian Girls:

Role play: Mentors have increasingly integrated role-playing exercises into their lessons as a method to enhance student engagement with the topic.

Anonymous Q&A: this method has proved to be effectiveness in providing answers to what can be termed as ‘difficult’ questions, in this practice, scholars anonymously write down their pressing questions that they may be hesitant to ask openly. and answers are provided by peers and mentors.

Unconventional class delivery methods: Mentors have adopted varying seating arrangements to suit different topics, thereby enriching the learning experience.

For me and for EIRWA, our vision for the girl child in Zambia and beyond is clear: To offer girls mentorship and social support, empowering them with tools (skills), and information that enable them to reach their greatest potential. To train them to be resilient and be able to overcome the obstacles they may encounter along the way. As they participate in Bintu Shupavu, I envision a future where our girls in Rufunsa will become more confident and motivated to pursue their goals, they will have a clear vision of their goals and they will know that their dreams are valid, they will be well informed to make important decisions for their lives and understand the outcomes of each decision made. They will be courageous!

– Ireen Chikatula, Founder, EIRWA

Our Partnership in Zambia

What is the education system like in Zambia?

The Zambian education system (government standard) has 5 years of secondary schooling. Grades 8 and 9 are considered junior secondary and Grades 10-12 are senior secondary. The academic year runs from January through to December with 3 months of termly attendance and 1 month of holiday in between. The total number of months of schooling in one academic year is 9 months.

Why did EIRWA wish to bring Binti Shupavu to Zambia?

Graduating from secondary school is a challenge for girls. In particular, lack of knowledge around their sexual reproductive and health rights often causes many adolescent girls to fall pregnant and enter forced marriages. These unwanted pregnancies and early marriages frequently put an end to their aspirations for education and an economic livelihood.

Through Binti Shupavu and their other work, EIRWA endeavours to support girls in school through the creation of a safe space for them to learn, share, interact and play. The ultimate goal is to improve school enrolment, retention and completion rates of girls and at the same time provide a secure and safe environment for them to socialize and enhance their educational achievement.

How did EIRWA select partner schools for Binti Shupavu implementation?

EIRWA was already working in these schools to implement other programming. Offering Binti Shupavu was a natural fit that aligned with the needs of girls.

Is Daring Girls looking for more partners in Zambia?

We are currently seeking funding partnerships in order to support more partners in Zambia who can deliver girls’ mentorship programming. While we are not currently adding new partners, we do want to know what organizations are interested in working with us. Complete this form to let us know you’re interested in exploring partnership in the future.