Monday, 3 October 2022

The consequences of dropping out of school due to child marriage and teenage pregnancy - AFRICA

Outstanding  stories of women and girls who dropped out of school due to child marriage and teen pregnancy


Both early teen marriage and dropping out of school have historically been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including higher poverty rates throughout life.

Our girls back to school campaign is ongoing


Luisa's story

Our today's guest  is Luisa, she will share with us her academic history and consequences of her choices.

I regret breaking my studies because of a young marriage

Hello! My name is Luisa, I will talk a little about my academic life and how I stopped studying.

I stopped studying when I was twenty years old because I found a husband. This marriage made me forget school, I gave birth to four children. But I regret that I stopped studying. Now I have no way to go back to study because life no longer allows me to study. I don't have a job, my husband is also unemployed, and we're all stuck.

If someone offers me a help, I would like to go back to study because I have this desire so that my daughters can also study, in order to improve our life a little bit.

What grade did you stop studying in? How old are you now?

I stopped studying in the 8th grade. Now I am 34 years old.

Have your daughters ever gone to school?

Yeah, they did. My first daughter is 14 years old, finished the 8 grade and has been two years without studying.

The second daughter is 13 years old, she concluded the 4th grade and is also two years without studying.

Have you done anything to continue your daughters' academic development at home?

What I've been doing isn't enough to pay their tuition. I am a street vendor and the little bit I earn is used to buy food that has also not been enough. Sometimes we sleep without eating dinner, there is no food to eat.

Another thing, our life is very difficult, we live in a poor slate house with a miserable yard, there is no light or running water. We carry the bathtub for 200 kwanzas that is very expensive for us.

I take this moment to ask for support from good faith people to help my family.

Madam, you said that there is no water in your house. Isn't it difficult to comply with the prevention measures against covid-19?

It is very difficult indeed. In the neighborhood where we live people do not respect the rules, we can find many people crowded in public places, things are very expensive. In general we live a very critical life.

Learn more here: https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2020/12/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola_97.html

Osana's story

Today we invited Osana, she will share with us a little of her academic life.

It has been difficult to pay for my studies and at the same time support my baby

Hello, good afternoon! My name is Osana Manuel, I'm 22 years old and I'm going to share my academic life with you.

Unfortunately, I became pregnant at the age of 18. I gave birth to my son, finished high school and even managed to enter the first year of university. But I was forced to lock the school year because of financial problems.

How long have you been without studying?

I stopped studying in 2019. I locked the year because it has been difficult to pay for my studies and at the same time support my baby.

Osana, aren't you married? I'm not married. Unfortunately my relationship with my son's father did not work so I am a single mother.

Would you like to go back to school if an opportunity came up?

I would really like to go back to school because study is one of my biggest focuses. I attend many short courses  but I really want to finish university.

How did covid-19 impact your life?

The covid-19 disease was practically a disgrace, I was working and suddenly I stopped because of the covid-19 pandemic. I am now unemployed. Till today I'm sitting at home.

Thank you!

Click this link to learn more about Osana https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2021/03/i-miss-africa-educates-her-campaign.html


Maria's story

Pregnancy related school dropouts have become a matter of public concern in the world today. Schoolgirls who become pregnant have fewer opportunities to complete their education after childbirth and have fewer opportunities for socioeconomic advancement.

Our today's guest is Maria, she will share with us her academic journey.

I dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy.

Hello, My name is Maria Gomes, I'm 21 years old, I'm here to talk about my academic life.

Maria are you studying right now?

No.

When did you stop studying and how old were you at the time?

I stopped studying in the 7th grade in 2017, at the age of 18.

Why did you stop studying?

I stopped studying because I got pregnant. When I discovered the pregnancy I did not stop studying at that moment, I continued with my studies until November 2017, then I dropped out of school because of the pregnancy symptoms.

Are you married to the father of your child?

No. We broke up because he denied the pregnancy

Would you like to go back to school?

Yeah, I'd like to go back to school.

What are the reasons that prevent you from going back to study?

Lack of financial resources. I have no money to pay my tuition.

How has the coronavirus affected you?

I used to work, but after the emergence of the pandemic my boss asked me to stay home. Also things in this period are very expensive and have made life very difficult, we had no way to eat at home, I am not working.

How have you been supporting your son?

My 35-year-old older sister has been helping me with the expenses. In general, I support my son alone without his father's help.

How old is your son?

My son is now 3 years old.


Girls and young women’s access, retention and completion in schools is still of huge concern in Africa. Our continent also has the highest rate of out of school children and adolescents globally. However, girls remain more likely to be permanently excluded from education and at a higher risk of being left behind.

Click this link to learn more about Maria: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/12/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola_24.html


Studies indicate that a woman who marries young is 31 percentage points more likely to live in poverty when she is older. Similarly, a woman who drops out of school is 11 percentage points more likely to be poor.

Women who marry early can have a high likelihood of ending up poor later in life, yet can still be optimizing. However, even if the individual is optimizing, society might still be concerned about the effects of poverty on her children and the costs associated with transfer programs.


Violence against children takes many forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and may involve neglect or deprivation. Violence occurs in many settings, including the home, school, community and over the Internet.

Sometimes raising awareness about sexual violence happens through very practical means.

IBM RPA Chatbot-BabyScream

We designed an Anti-harassment chatbot named BabyScream to help victims of child marriage, domestic violence and sexual abuse, denounce harmful practices.

Hands-on lab 

IBM  RPA Web Automation and Anti-Harassment Chatbot to Prevent Child Marriage and Abuse

We used RPA Automation Studio to create and deploy an Anti-Harassment Chatbot to Prevent Child Marriage and Abuse and automate our Web.


Anti-harassment Chatbot-BabyScream — To End Child Marriage

Education is an essential factor in combating the worst forms of child labour, including child marriage, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, human trafficking, poverty, social exclusion and gender bias.

The main goals of the project are to strengthen prevention mechanisms against child marriage and teen pregnancy, improve the mental health and education process and support survivors safely.

Sometimes raising awareness about sexual violence happens through very practical means. In many rural communities We visit, both girls and boys learn how to sew reusable menstrual pads, which not only enables more girls to attend school, but also creates opportunities for boys to discuss their responsibility to reduce sexual and physical violence.

Click here to see:  https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2022/04/wow-we-are-delighted-to-announce-second.html


Sofonie Dala - Young Talents from Africa : WOW! We are delighted to announce the second part of #SHECODESAFRICA - ''BabyScream'' IBM RPA Anti-harassment chatbot to End Child Marriage. The tech show with Sofonie Dala



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