How do you #BreaktheBias to make sure teenage mothers can still get the education they need and deserve - for their own and their children's futures?
By Janelle Zwier, Education Technical Advisor, World Vision Zimbabwe
With schools re-opening around the world, the effects of pregnancy-related school drop-out is yet to be fully calculated. Economic strain, compounded by pregnancy, has been the primary reason for girls dropping out (Brookings, 2021). World Vision estimated in the Aftershocks report that as many as one million girls were at risk of being blocked from returning to school due to pregnancy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
While World Vision is working with Right to Education Index research assessing and influencing policy and practice affecting pregnant girls and young mothers’ access to education, policies that do not restrict pregnant girls and young mothers are only part of the solution. Beyond the policies, young mothers face multiple barriers in accessing education, so vital to their and their children’s futures.