The Empowerment Initiative for Rural Women and Adolescents (EIRWA) is a Zambian nonprofit organization working to expand opportunities for girls, women, and young people in rural communities. Since 2023, EIRWA has implemented programs focused on supporting girls’ education, strengthening youth well-being and leadership, and promoting inclusive community development that challenge harmful gender norms and violence.
In the rural Rufunsa District in Zambia, adolescent girls face multiple barriers such as long commutes to school, domestic responsibilities, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights education and services. Social norms often discourage girls’ education, and families often have limited knowledge about educational opportunities. As a result, girls are more vulnerable to school dropout, early pregnancy, and harmful myths surrounding menstrual health.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, EIRWA will implement its GIRLS+ Project. The project is designed to empower girls by providing mentorship, life skills training, and access to sexual and reproductive health education in supportive, girl-centered spaces. The project will also conduct bi-monthly outreach visits to six remote schools where regular mentorship programs are not available. It will also conduct engagement meetings with parents to encourage families to prioritize girls’ education and well-being.
The GIRLS+ Project will directly reach approximately 500 girls across 16 schools in Rufunsa District. The project will also engage 600 community members through community dialogues, outreach sessions, and parent engagement meetings supporting girls’ education and wellbeing. Through this initiative, EIRWA hopes to build a sustainable mentorship model that empowers girls today while creating supportive environments that allow future generations of girls to learn, lead, and thrive.
To learn more about EIRWA, please visit the organization’s social media pages:
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