210 teen girls graduated from our Sauti ya Dada 2-year program this spring. They are the first cohort to complete the program and the results are confirmation of its power to change the lives of teen girls across East Africa!
Hear from the girls about Sauti ya Dada has impacted them:
Sauti ya Dada (SYD) is a program that supports marginalized girls in East Africa, helping them overcome barriers to complete secondary school education. It addresses issues such as poverty, gender inequality, sexual violence, teen pregnancy, child marriage, and climate change. The program organizes girls into clubs where they receive mentorship, leadership training, and education on sexual and reproductive health. They also receive monthly menstrual pads to ensure uninterrupted school attendance.
Mentors undergo extensive training, and the program utilizes SMS messages and a podcast series, by girls and for girls, to provide ongoing support and knowledge. As a culmination of the program, girls lead Creative Advocacy Practicums to address critical gender and climate change issues that are barriers to their education, receiving guidance, facilitation, and support from a local artist in the use of art for advocacy.
The program increases the likelihood of girls finishing school and avoiding teen pregnancy. Of our graduating cohort, 99% of girls have remained in school and 99% did not become pregnant! These are significant results, given that in this region, 50% of girls do not enter high school, and of those that do, there is a 10-20% drop out rate. In some countries, like Uganda, over 34% of girls are married before they turn 18 and teen pregnancy rates are twice the global rate.
Not only are girls in our program staying in school, but they show significant growth in leadership abilities, self-esteem and coping mechanisms, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, climate change, and in advocacy skills. At the end of the program, 97% of girls say that they know their rights as a girl and how to stand up for themselves!
We are so proud of this year’s graduates and their fantastic mentors that have accompanied them throughout the program!
What participants say before vs after completing the program:
