Mothers without Borders
Access to education and mentoring for vulnerable GIRLS in Zambia
In Zambia, 1 in every 15 people is an orphaned child under the age of 18. Thousands of households are headed by a child and 59.4% of children live in poverty. Around 30% of women in Zambia marry before turning 18 years old. Children living in poverty are the most vulnerable to child marriage and girls from the poorest families are three times more likely to marry before age 18 than girls from wealthier families.
Together with Mothers Without Borders, we launched the Be That Girl programme for girls, a community-based initiative that offers economic support, education, and mentorship to currently 422 vulnerable girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 25. The programme equips them with both the skills and the self-determination they need to reach their full potential. The girls receive full tuition support from primary to tertiary school, access to a mentor, a woman from their community, who delivers life skills training and counselling, as well as material support such as housing, laptops and bicycles and sanitary pads.
Mothers Without Borders organizes a yearly Be That Girl conference bringing together the girls and their mentors around inspirational speakers, to strenghten the bond among the girls and exchange experiences.
The programme has seen great success, with the girls and their mentors expressing excitement for the community, empowerment, and opportunities that it has brought to their lives. Many of the girls have demonstrated increased levels of confidence in themselves and in their potential to pursue their dreams.
Key numbers
In 2023:
422 girls enrolled in the Be That Girl programme (101 in primary school, 268 in secondary school, 53 in tertiary school)
13 mentors
559 home visits and 302 group meetings conducted by the mentors
211 girls received psychosocial/trauma therapy
137 bicycles distributed for safe travel to school
15 laptops distributed for tertiary education
10 girls receiving housing
861 sanitary pads distributed
7 young women graduated from the programme, all now in full-time employment or internship in sectors such as hospitality and healthcare
Objectives of the programme:
Keep girls out of early marriage and teen pregnancy.
Empower each girl to achieve her dreams, realize her full potential, find her voice, and be a force for good in the world.
Empower each girl in her physical, emotional, mental, and cultural growth and learning.
Change societal beliefs and norms that marginalize girls in the communities where these girls live, study, and work.
