Source: Government bemoans adolescent pregnancy -Newsday Zimbabwe
A GOVERNMENT official has said adolescent pregnancy and secondary school completion rates are urgent calls to act decisively and collaboratively.
Speaking at the International Day of the Girl Child 2025 commemorations in Chitungwiza at the weekend, Enerst Chimboza, Harare provincial head in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises, said the launch of the Unicef-funded Adolescent Girls Programme was a welcome move.
The programme is being implemented in collaboration with FAWEZI and the Primary and Secondary Education ministry.
He said that underscored the ministry’s mandate, which is firmly rooted in promoting gender equality and advancing the socio-economic empowerment of women and girls.
The programme is grounded in the realities girls face everyday, including a national adolescent pregnancy rate of 23,7 and a secondary school completion rate of 65,9.
“We view the adolescent girl not only as a beneficiary of policy but as a future leader and driver of our national development. Through our community development work and national programmes, we continue to strengthen child protection systems to safeguard girls from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation,” Chimboza said.
He said they were scaling up efforts to equip adolescent girls with essential life skills, self-confidence and business acumen that would enable them to participate meaningfully in the economy and assume leadership roles.
“This includes reaching the most marginalised, particularly girls with disabilities, who often face multiple layers of exclusion. Our programmes are designed to ensure that no girl is left behind, regardless of her background or circumstance.
Speaking at the same event which saw the official launch of the Adolescent Girls Programme, Unicef representative in Zimbabwe, Etona Ekole said this year’s Day of the Girl theme, The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis, reminded us that girls are not just survivors of crises; they are leaders, they are innovators and they are change makers standing on the frontlines of climate change, poverty and inequality, every single day.
She said national statistics on the plight of the girl child were sobering.
“Behind each of these figures is a name, a face and a story — a story of a girl who could have been a doctor, an engineer, a minister or a business magnate. This is why we are here today; we are here to launch Unicef’s RISE Project, implemented in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe,” she said.
RISE is an acronym for Resilient, Innovative, Skilled and Empowered girls.
“This is not just another ordinary project. It is a movement to equip girls with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to thrive in life and lead in society,” she said.
“Through this initiative, 24 000 adolescent girls in Chitungwiza and Chipinge will gain access to opportunities in STEM education, leadership development and life skills.”
Statistics show that 1 in 3 girls in Zimbabwe are married off before the age of 18; nearly 1 in 4 of all school dropouts are due to pregnancy or marriage, while 65,9% of girls complete secondary school, with even lower rates in rural districts like Chipinge.
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