girls in rural parts of eAST AFRICA face significant barriers to education

While many East African countries provide free primary education, this policy isn’t enough to get girls in the classroom and keep them there. In rural Kenya, half of all girls are married by age 19 (legal marriage age is 16.) In addition to cutting their time at school short, early marriage puts girls at higher risk of HIV infection, domestic abuse, and early pregnancy.

Poverty is another heavy factor keeping girls from reaching their full potential. Issues like early malnourishment lead to physical stunting and learning delays, and if a family with limited finances has enough money to send only one child to school, boys are generally seen as the better investment. Impoverished families will often choose to marry girls off in exchange for dowries or to ease the burden of feeding and clothing daughters.

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