Creating Pathways for Young Mothers to Continue Learning with SACCA Rwanda
At AMPLIFY Girls, we believe that community-driven organizations(CDOs) best understand the needs of the community and are usually at the forefront offering solutions, identifying, and providing support to the most vulnerable members of the community.
In 2020, AMPLIFY Girls completed a four-country study with our partners, highlighting the struggles that adolescent girls faced returning to school. While we were grateful to bring their voices out of the darkness, we recognized that research was not enough. CDOs are on the frontlines addressing the struggles that adolescent girls are facing and we had to close the loop and secure resources to fortify their critical efforts.
In East Africa, during the school closures, everyone witnessed a sudden spike in the number of girls dropping out of school due to unintended pregnancies. In Rwanda for instance, schools closed for 7 months, and from our research on “Understanding the Barriers to Girls’ School Return,” AMPLIFY Girls noted that of those who had dropped out, 47% said it was because they were pregnant, had already given birth, or had been forced into early marriage.
Although Rwanda has a return policy in place for pregnant girls and teenage mothers, the hostility that these girls face from the community; the toxic school culture, and the negative community perception of pregnancy are key drivers leading pregnant girls to drop out of school. From our research, the girls also noted that they were unable to return to school because of the burden of childcare. When asked how they could be supported, the majority of respondents said that access to vocational training would be a better option than returning to school. These girls had not lost hope of a better life, many girls noted their interest in tailoring or hairdressing, and a few expressed general interest in being provided with support to start a business.
Recognizing the situation on the ground, community-driven organizations such as Streets Ahead Children’s Centre Association (SACCA-Rwanda) in Rwanda offered these girls access to education and vocational training to economically empower them and give them a chance to continue their education. In rural Rwanda, SACCA believes that it is their responsibility to offer hope to these girls, to provide solutions to their problems so they can have access to free education and a better life. AMPLIFY Girls` partnership with community organizations all over East Africa enables us to support community-driven organizations like SACCA to provide localized interventions in their environments.
SACCA was founded in 2003 to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of people in Kayonza District and to ensure social transformation through education. As a local organization deeply embedded in the community, SACCA works alongside community representatives, community members, and local law enforcement to develop innovative community-based solutions to community problems. Over the years, SACCA has tackled a wide range of social welfare problems that affect the community, while focusing on the protection and rehabilitation of the youth and street children within Kayonza. Through their programs, more than 1,600 children have been re-integrated into their families, others have been able to get stable jobs, and the majority of the street boys and girls have been enrolled in vocational training programs, primary or secondary schools.
During the Covid-19 school closures, SACCA noted the increase in teenage pregnancy in Kayonza. Being a semi-urban area and a community deeply rooted in their cultural beliefs, teenage pregnancies are frowned upon, and the girls are often stigmatized even by their own families. These girls would then be thrown into the streets to fend for themselves and would drop out of school to take care of their babies.
To get these girls out of the streets, SACCA began enrolling them in their Livelihood program, a vocational training program that targets school dropouts and unemployed youth in the streets, offering them training in culinary arts, hairdressing, and construction. However, being a community-driven organization, SACCA depends on funding from donors and well-wishers to run their programs, and more often than not, the funding is minimal and restricted. This meant that SACCA would only enroll 30 girls per program and have others on the waiting list for the next cohort. To close the gap, AMPLIFY Girls took the initiative to secure resources for our partners to support their work and get girls back to school.
To be able to function and meet the needs of the community, local organizations need support in terms of resourcing and capacity. Usually, these needs are not met because community-driven organizations struggle to find secure funding which interrupts consistent program interventions. In response, AMPLIFY Girls introduced the Education and Innovation Fund which will resource our local community partners to support all girls, including pregnant girls and young mothers, to return to school and have access to education and vocational training. With the grant from the Education and Innovation Fund, SACCA will be able to get more girls out of the streets and continue to support those who are currently in the program.
To influence holistic re-entry for all girls, governments, and donors must invest in girls` education through direct and unrestricted funding towards girl-serving community-driven organizations like SACCA. These CDOs, like SACCA, are closest to the community, and investing in them ensures direct support for the most vulnerable including pregnant girls and young mothers. Governments should also hold national conversations to influence dialogue on negative community perception towards teenage pregnancy and begin tracking teenage pregnant girls and facilitating their re-entry.
Want to learn more about SACCA? Visit their website or reach out to them through streetsaheadsacca@gmail.com. You can also become a part of their impact story by contributing to their work in supporting girls and the local community.