Day of the Girl 2022

For a decade now, UNICEF has been celebrating the Day of the Girl to promote issues that threaten girls’ rights, opportunities, and safety (UNICEF). The COVID-19 pandemic and global warming have hindered advancement and undermined previous successes made in recent years (World Economic Forum, All Africa), and now we must try to regain ground and work to close the gender gap. UNICEF’s goals for 2022 to 2023 include:

• Supporting the leadership of adolescent girls

• Increasing resources for and investments in adolescent girls

• Improving access to and uptake of inclusive adolescent girl-centered services

We are proud to have frameworks in place to support these goals! The Kafwa health worker volunteers, along with invested teachers at our schools, are involved in initiatives that advocate for orphans and vulnerable children, with particular sensitivity to the rights and protection of girls. The weekly Girls Achievement Program (GAP) for girls in grades 5-7 provides a safe space to learn about their bodily development, the importance of staying in school and avoiding early marriage, as well as learning life skills. Our high school scholarships for girls help to further their educational journey. And starting last year, two GAP high school graduates were awarded our nursing scholarship, preparing them for a rewarding career!

We are grateful to our supporters who make these programs possible. By continuing to find new ways to empower girls, we are preparing the next generation of empowered women!