Girl Pride Africa is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016. It aims to support teenage mothers and young girls often rescued from child marriages, and their children. The organisation provides a positive place where they feel loved instead of being judged. They also encourage the girls to set up and achieve educational and career goals, so that they can obtain a bright future for themselves and their children.
The organisation has rescued more than 1,300 girls and provided mentoring to at least 2,000 girls around Africa, helping around 480 girls every month.
What was your journey/background that led to the creation of Girl Pride Africa?
Having been raised by a teenage mother herself, Lolah witnessed the hardships first-hand and identified where support could have been provided to her mother and her childhood.
Why do you think teenage and girl pregnancies exist within the community?
Lolah attributes pregnancies to an umbrella of reasons. Firstly, a lack of education to children about the consequences of becoming a mother. Secondly, the practice of children being married off to older men in order to pay off family debts still exists. Thirdly, refugee children have no rights and are therefore easily exploited with no repercussion for the perpetrators.
How do you rescue the vulnerable girls?
The organisation has volunteer caseworkers who are able to identify teenage mothers who need their support. They are also well known within the community, so sometimes it is through word of mouth. Sometimes, the girls are referred from other organisations.
What is the reality of life for teenage mothers (without support)?
Once pregnant, many girls drop out of school and never return. This means that they do not get a good education and cannot go on to higher education or get a job to support themselves and their child. Often, the families of the pregnant girls cannot financially support the girl and her child, so the girls are left to find shelter on the streets.
How has the situation been impacted by COVID-19?
The pandemic has worsened the situation with a big rise in teenage pregnancies, particularly due to school closures. The restrictions on social gatherings and requirement to stay home have made it more difficult to provide services and supplies to the girls, and many are at heightened risk of being locked in the same household as abusive family members.
What has been the feedback from the girls that you have helped?
Lolah explains how heart-warming it is when she receives a photo of the girls she has helped when they complete schooling, or with their university degree, or on the first day of a job. The girls are grateful that Girl Pride Africa was there for them when they needed support, so much so that many eventually return as a volunteer as a mentor.
What are the challenges that you have faced?
There have been many challenges, but the first has been the emotional toll of witnessing children losing out on equal opportunities merely due to having a child, and especially compared with their male counterparts. Lolah recounts a scenario where there were many teenage mothers who needed basic supplies such as shelter, food, and nappies, but she has to choose who gets them when the reality is that they all deserve them. Another challenge has been the lack of a budget and funding. As an organisation that relies primarily on donations, there are many initiatives that she wants to offer the girls to empower them, but these cannot always be realised.
What do you hope to achieve in the next year?
One of the projects that Lolah will be focusing on is to do with the environment, so that the next generation can enjoy the beautiful surroundings for years to come. This will include recycling and beach cleans. Lolah also hopes that Girl Pride will be able to hold workshops such as soap making and sewing, in order to teach the girls life skills and feel empowered.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Children have a number of rights, including the right to life, survival, and development. This is universally recognised but is not the case for so many young girls - especially those who become pregnant.
It is clear that Lolah’s passion, resilience and positive attitude has been crucial in closing the gap in services that is currently not met by the government. She continues to show up and support these vulnerable children, and their children, to help them obtain a bright future.
I hope that this session has provided an insight into the invaluable work that Girl Pride Africa are doing to protect and realise children’s rights in Africa, and a reminder to continue fighting.
If you would like to follow and support Girl Pride Africa’s initiatives, please check them out on Facebook and Instagram: @girlprideafrica
Ploy is currently a paralegal in London. She has an LLB from Swansea University and an LLM LPC from BPP University in Cambridge. She is interested in promoting human rights injustices and bringing them into the public domain, with a particular focus on children due to their vulnerable status.