Education and Innovation Fund Impact: A Second Chance at Education for Young Mothers in East Africa

A young mother in school is what we envision when we think about second chances. We believe every girl should have the opportunity to pursue her education no matter their background. Through the Education and Innovation Fund, we are actualizing girls' access to education; giving adolescent girls and young mothers a chance to return to school and pursue their education.

We initiated the Education and Innovation Fund at AMPLIFY Girls to support girls like Primah, a beneficiary of our partner, The Girl Power Foundation Uganda. When Primah first visited Girl Power, it was to attend one of the programs; the Go Girls mentorship program. This was during the first COVID-19 Lockdown in Uganda in 2020. At the time, Girl Power had just launched its Go Girls mentorship program aimed at inspiring adolescent girls during the lockdown. With the program sessions being held twice a week at the Girl Power Centre during school holidays, the Go Girls program creates a safe space where girls meet, share and learn about their Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), goal setting, and how to build their self-esteem. They also get to talk about issues affecting girls in the community.

The program attracted more girls during the COVID-19 lockdown including Primah, who was introduced to the program by a friend. Primah however did not visit alone. Seated on the quiet and shy girls’ lap was Precious, Primah’s 6-month-old girl whom she gave birth to at the age of 15. 

‘On her first day, she was too quiet and shy, she felt out of place, and when we gave her a chance to talk, she broke down into tears.’ Winnie, Girl Power’s Executive Director notes. 

After she gave birth to Precious, Primah was forced to drop out of school in the second year of her four-year secondary school studies. 

When schools re-opened in Uganda, Primah saw her friends return to school while she stayed at home taking care of her child. A predicament that young mothers often find themselves in. For an adolescent girl from a poor background, having a child means you get to assume the role of a provider. Primah’s situation wasn’t any different, she had to get a job as a food vendor where she earned 2000 Uganda shillings (less than a dollar) a day to support her child.

After the Covid-19 school closures, AMPLIFY Girls completed a four-country study to understand the impact of COVID19 on girls returning to school. n  Our findings ( Understanding the Barriers to Girls’ School Return), highlighted the crisis of girls’ school dropouts due to teenage pregnancy. To support adolescent girls and young mothers’ return to school, we launched the Education and Innovation Fund that would support our partners like Girl Power Foundation Uganda to invest in the education of vulnerable girls they identify in their communities.

The next time Primah visited Girl Power Centre, she expressed her desire to go back to school to complete her secondary education. 

‘She (Primah) said she understood her mistakes and now knows that school can help her be a better person and a better mother for Precious. We promised to support her in any way possible to help her go back to school.’ - Winnie, Girl Power Foundation Uganda.

Through the Education and Innovation fund, Girl Power supported Primah to go back to school. She is currently at a boarding school and has yet to finish her secondary studies next year. Girl Power supported 7 girls to pursue traditional secondary education and so far, enrolled 10 more girls in their skills center for vocational training.

We are proud of what  AMPLIFY Girls has achieved, but we recognize that more needs to be done to support adolescent girls and young mothers to continue their education. According to a UNFPA report on teenage pregnancy in Uganda, the percentage of women aged 15-19 who have given birth or are pregnant with their first child has remained at 25% since 2016. UNFPA cites that 50% of teenage girls are currently at risk of childhood sexual abuse each year which is attributed to the rate of teenage pregnancy in Uganda. If no action is taken, 64% of teenage mothers will not complete their primary education level.

More funds need to be allocated at the government level and among donors to support community-driven organizations like Girl Power Foundation Uganda in enabling young mothers' re-entry. We hope to continue to impact change stories among vulnerable girls like Primah all over East Africa by supporting our partners through the Education and Innovation fund. 

Be part of our change story by supporting us. Invest in a girls’ second chance today!