Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa (AGE Africa) provides life-changing opportunities to girls in Malawi through programs focused on education, mentoring, and leadership development. The organization’s initiatives target the sources of girls’ attrition from school, including early marriage, affordability, lack of sexual reproductive health knowledge, and gender-based violence. AGE Africa is guided by four objectives: 1) Improve girls’ retention and achievement in secondary schools; 2) Empower girls to become agents of change in their own lives; 3) Facilitate opportunities for post-secondary education; and 4) Develop future leaders who will make positive contributions in Malawi.
Girls in Malawi face multiple obstacles in accessing and succeeding in secondary school. Nationwide, only 15 percent of those who qualify will enroll in secondary school, and three out of seven girls are married before they turn 18. To address these issues, AGE Africa provides scholarships for secondary and post-secondary education and operates a life-skills workshop and radio program, “CHATS.” CHATS workshops support girls in 42 schools in eight districts in Malawi’s central and southern regions. The CHATS radio program broadcasts in these regions as well.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund will support AGE Africa’s CHATS workshops and radio program. The CHATS curriculum is peer-led and was developed by Malawian women to address the unique needs of Malawian girls. Both components of the CHATS program focus on education access, career development, and preventing child marriages. The radio program hosts alumni and local female experts in education, health, and business as guests. Listeners are able to call or text with questions on topics like career development, life planning, and sexual and reproductive health. CHATS has previously shown remarkable outcomes: 96 percent of program participants have completed secondary school, and over 55 percent have qualified for post-secondary education opportunities.
AGE Africa will facilitate conversations on relevant issues affecting young women and build skills that translate to success in the classroom and workplace. It will reach 500 adolescent girls through in-person CHATS at five community day secondary schools and more than 4.5 million girls and community members through its radio program. In doing so, AGE Africa hopes to build up a generation of girls who are resilient, educated, and able to reach their full potential. To learn more about AGE Africa, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
See more projects: Africa, Southern Africa, Child Marriage, Education