This year’s International Women’s Day campaign is ‘Give to Gain’, highlighting that when women thrive, we all rise. The path to equality is paved with innovative programmes which prioritise women and girls, while also benefiting their families, communities and countries.
Eastern and Southern Africa have some of the world’s highest rates of maternal mortality, adolescent pregnancy, HIV and sexual violence, all of which disproportionately impact adolescent girls in particular. Behind every statistic is a girl deciding whether to seek care, speak out or more worryingly, stay silent.
Enabling these girls is not only the right thing to do — it also creates lasting change. Adolescent years are called ‘formative’ because they literally build the foundations for our future health, wellbeing and prosperity – as well as our children’s. In an environment of shrinking overseas aid, we need these ‘multiplier effects’.
These five interventions are proven to impact adolescent girls’ chances and improve society.
Address violence both on paper and in practice
One in every five girls across sub-Saharan Africa has experienced rape or sexual assault before turning 18. While UNICEF funds thousands of survivor-centred grassroots organisations, less visible work also has tangible impacts. Behaviour change initiatives address the attitudes which normalise violence and new government legislation can ensure justice is served. The impacts are felt in child-friendly courts, allowing anonymous testimony and police gender desks, ensuring post-rape evidence-gathering supports survivors’ wellbeing as much as perpetrators’ prosecution.
Share collective knowledge to enhance collective power
Peer-support models are a cornerstone of this region’s drive to end AIDS by 2030. Through UNICEF-supported peer provider programmes, adolescents at risk of HIV, violence and early pregnancy are connected to trained mentors who share their lived experience and are embedded within health and community systems. These trusted peers help girls navigate complex health, education and economic challenges — and ensure they are supported across services. Evidence from South Africa and Zimbabwe shows significant gains in agency, reduced stigma and stronger links to learning and skills. By translating this evidence into policy and practice, countries across the region are now institutionalising peer and community models at scale, reaching millions of young people.
Happy mother, happy child makes for stronger communities
A quarter of young women give birth before they’re 18 in Eastern and Southern Africa and the vast majority of early pregnancies are unintended. SADC’s latest scorecard of sexual and reproductive health and rights (an outstanding data bank supported by the joint UN Regional programme 2gether 4 SRHR) shows 12 out of 16 countries in Southern Africa have recorded a decline in adolescent births, thanks to life-skills, HIV and comprehensive prevention education in schools. Prevention strategies are working. But we must also support millions of young mothers raising their young ones today. UNICEF reviewed what works for adolescent mums in South Africa and the results were extraordinary. Investing in food security cuts the odds of girls dropping out of school by 50 per cent. Adolescent-friendly health clinics build confidence and support safer choices by more than 50 per cent. Supporting parents with non-violent parenting tactics has been associated with reductions in sexual violence of up to 79 per cent. When all three supports are available, even unemployment dropped. We were so excited by these surprising benefits to the wider community that we studied Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini and found similarly dramatic results.
Treat men and boys as allies
Because equality and justice should benefit everyone, men and boys can be crucial allies. Encouraging influential men to engage their networks in life-saving health information has been game-changing. From the religious leaders in Uganda hosting HIV-prevention drives in churches and mosques, to the youth champions speaking up against violence in gyms in Eswatini, men and boys are congregating to share strategies. Africa’s embrace of responsible leadership by men and boys has enormous potential to reduce violence, increase school retention, and improve health outcomes. Not just for themselves but for their sisters, mothers, wives and daughters, as they actively walk the path of equality and respect.
Invest in adolescent girls to yield a high return for everyone, for generations
With a median age of just 19, Africa will soon have the world’s largest workforce, driven by youth. For this to become a demographic dividend, we must invest together. When we give young people digital and green skills, linked to private-sector partnerships, they gain experience and entrepreneurial confidence. Investing in a “Youth Force for Africa” is one of the highest-return public investments governments can make. It protects prior investments in education and health, expands the future tax base through higher productivity and employment, and reduces pressure on health, social protection and justice systems. In short, investing in adolescents gives a high yield return for everyone.
For every country in the region to meet its Sustainable Development Goals, we must carefully consider what we must give in order to gain. Governments, UN, civil society, donors, communities and individuals alike shouldn’t see giving as a subtraction. It’s intentional multiplication. We should be deliberate about what we give — because the evidence is clear about what we gain. Supporting adolescent girls advances us all, this International Women’s Day and beyond.
Etleva Kadilli is the UNICEF regional director for Eastern and Southern Africa
One in every five girls across sub-Saharan Africa has experienced rape or sexual assault before turning 18
