BEIJING, Sept 22 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In rural Uganda, teenage girls once faced a stark choice: drop out of school to marry early, or struggle through classrooms without proper sanitation or safety. That has been slowly changing. The Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) program has built campuses that are safe, gender-responsive, and supportive of girls’ health and dignity. Each year, nearly 300,000 students in Uganda, Zambia and Ghana benefit from the program.
In Zambia, the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) tells a similar story of transformation. Since 2001, its initiative to help girls overcome barriers to secondary education has enabled more than 617,000 young women in rural areas to complete school. Equipped with skills for leadership and community work, many graduates have become role models in villages where, not long ago, daughters were the first to be denied education.