UNICEF, FAWEZI Launch RISE Programme To Empower 24,000 Adolescent Girls In Zimbabwe

By Edward Makuzva

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI), has launched the RISE Programme, a transformative initiative aimed at empowering 24,000 adolescent girls in Chitungwiza and Chipinge through education, leadership, and life skills training.

The launch coincided with the International Day of the Girl Child (IDG) celebrations held at Seke 5 High School on Saturday, bringing together government officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, teachers, parents, community leaders, development partners, and learners.

The RISE Programme, which stands for Resilient, Innovative, Skilled, and Empowered, seeks to ensure that every girl can “dream without limits and rise without barriers.”

The programme seeks to break barriers that hinder girls’ education by addressing issues such as early marriage, gender-based violence, and poverty, while equipping them with life skills, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.

Launched amid growing efforts to ensure that no girl is left behind, the RISE initiative reinforces Zimbabwe’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision for inclusive development.

Speaking at the launch event, UNICEF Representative to Zimbabwe, Etona Ekole, added that the programme comes at a critical time when alarming statistics highlight the challenges still facing girls in Zimbabwe.

“Your presence here reflects a deep commitment to one of the most important causes of our time, the empowerment of adolescent girls in Zimbabwe,” said the UNICEF representative at the launch.

“As we celebrate the International Day of the Girl, we also celebrate girls everywhere: their voices, their leadership, and their power to shape a better future”, Ekole explained.

While Zimbabwe has made significant progress in promoting gender equality, adolescent girls continue to face numerous challenges that limit their potential.

According to recent data:1 in 3 girls in Zimbabwe is married before the age of 18 (ZDHS 2023/24).

Nearly 1 in 4 school dropouts are linked to pregnancy or early marriage (Education Management Information System, 2024).Only 65.9% of girls complete secondary school, with lower rates in rural districts like Chipinge.

Adolescent girls face HIV infection rates nearly three times higher than boys (National HIV Estimates, 2024).

Almost half of Zimbabwean youth (48.1%) are not in education, employment, or training, with girls making up the majority (ZIMSTATS, 2025).

“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,” said the UNICEF official.

“The RISE Programme is about changing that narrative.”Key Interventions of the RISE ProgrammeEkole revealed that the RISE initiative focuses on practical, inclusive, and community-based solutions to empower adolescent girls.

The programme will:Deploy mobile science laboratories to schools to ignite girls’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Train teachers and school staff in gender-responsive pedagogy and menstrual health management.

Establish and strengthen safe spaces and school clubs where girls can learn about leadership, self-confidence, and sexual and reproductive health rights.

Provide girls with advocacy tools through UNICEF’s Youth Advocacy Guide and FAWEZI’s Tuseme model to enable them to speak out and influence change.

Engage parents, communities, and male champions to help dismantle harmful gender norms that hinder girls’ progress.

Investing in Girls, Investing in the Future

She emphasized that empowering girls is not only a moral imperative but a key driver of national development.

Research shows that when girls are educated, they reinvest up to 90% of their income into their families and communities, creating ripple effects of progress and prosperity.

“Our role is not only to give girls a voice but to amplify the powerful voices they already have,” said the UNICEF representative.

“By investing in girls’ education and empowerment, we are investing in the prosperity of Zimbabwe.”

A Collective Call to Action

Ekole highlighted that UNICEF and FAWEZI called upon parents, educators, policymakers, development partners, and community leaders to unite in ensuring that no girl is left behind.

“Let us work together to break down the barriers that keep girls out of classrooms, science labs, and leadership spaces,” She added.

“Every girl in Zimbabwe, regardless of where she is born or the challenges she faces, must have the opportunity to say: ‘The girl I am, the change I lead.’”

As Zimbabwe marked this year’s International Day of the Girl Child under the theme, “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis”, the RISE Programme launch served as both a celebration of girls’ potential and a renewed commitment to their empowerment.

FAWEZI Executive Director, Lydia Madyirapanze, noted that the RISE Project is also being rolled out in Chipinge.

She said, “With support from UNICEF and in collaboration with the Government, FAWEZI is implementing the project to empower 24,000 adolescent girls in Chipinge and Chitungwiza.”

She emphasized the need to invest in adolescents, who constitute 12% of Zimbabwe’s population.

“Adolescent girls continue to face multiple, overlapping challenges, including high rates of child marriage, adolescent pregnancy (23.7%), gender-based violence, school dropouts, HIV infection, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services.”

Madyirapanze emphasized that equipping teachers with gender-responsive training, menstrual health education, and safe school practices will help create more inclusive learning environments.

“By engaging communities in open dialogue, we aim to challenge harmful social norms and foster family support for girls’ education,” she said.

FAWEZI Executive Director added that the RISE Project seeks to unlock girls’ potential by promoting STEM education, leadership, and essential life skills, adding that empowering adolescent girls is key to driving innovation and inclusive development in Zimbabwe.

“Girls deserve to thrive in science labs, innovation hubs, and leadership spaces just as much as anywhere else.

Through mobile science labs, STEM clubs, and mentorship sessions, we are allowing them to explore, create, and lead,” said Madyirapanze.

She explained that the initiative not only aims to bridge the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics but also to build girls’ confidence and critical thinking skills.

“When girls are exposed to hands-on learning and guided by mentors who believe in their potential, they begin to see themselves as problem-solvers and changemakers in their communities,” Madyirapanze noted.

She emphasized that by equipping girls with digital literacy and leadership skills, the project envisions a future where young women can innovate solutions to local challenges from climate change and health care to entrepreneurship and technology development.

“This is about creating pathways for girls to participate meaningfully in building Zimbabwe’s knowledge economy,” she added.

Itai Zinzombe, speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Moses Mhike, and in her capacity as the Director of Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity, and Wellness, commended the partnership between UNICEF and FAWEZI, noting their advocacy for the school re-entry policy for adolescent girls.

“As a Ministry, we take great pride in our continued collaboration with partners such as UNICEF and FAWEZI, who have been steadfast in supporting national efforts to promote gender equality in education.

This commitment is truly significant. We have come a long way.”

She applauded FAWEZI for championing girls’ education and tackling school-related gender-based violence.

“We say continuation, not re-entry. Pregnancy isn’t an illness. Girls should stay in school,” she said, recalling how lack of guidance in her youth led many girls to despair, unsafe abortions, and even suicide.

Meanwhile, through FAWEZI’s Tuseme model and UNICEF’s Youth Advocacy Guide, girls will be empowered to speak out and lead positive change in their communities.

The project focuses on strengthening girls’ agency, particularly for those out of school, while fostering community engagement to challenge harmful gender norms, uphold girls’ rights, and promote accountability in ending child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and gender-based violence.