Adolescent girls in the climate crisis: Voices from Zambia and Zimbabwe
This report details the key findings
from the Feminist Participatory
Action Research (FPAR) on
how climate change impacts
on adolescent girls and young
women’s access to education
in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The report is written from the collective perspectives
of the young women and adolescent girls involved.
It captures everything leading to the production of
the report; including how they understood, analyzed,
and expressed themselves during the research
a process that involved detailed capacity building
activities, data collection, analysis, and writing
workshops. Using a FPAR approach, this report
is the result of a series of workshops that sought
to develop a shared understanding of feminism,
climate change, and the gendered impacts of climate
change on education.
Research aims
The overall objective of the research was to understand the impact climate change has on girls’ education in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Also, it provides evidence of the role of both formal and informal education to build adolescent girls' and young women’s ability to adapt to climate extremes and contribute to a transition to a greener economy in these two countries.
The research sought to build an evidence base that furthers understanding, through young women and adolescent girls’ views and lived experiences, of how climate change is reshaping their lives and their futures. Is it acting as a barrier to quality education and, if so, in what way? The research also sought to determine the views of young women and adolescent girls on the role of quality education to effectively addressing the urgent climate-related challenges they face.
Using the ‘download’ button you can also access the related technical report – Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Empowering Young Women Through Feminist Participatory Action Research in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Emergencies, Child protection in emergencies, Climate change, Climate change activism, Education in emergencies, Youth economic empowerment in emergencies
Economic development depends on girls’ education: Every year spent in school increases a girl’s future earnings. With her income, she’ll invest in her children’s health and education, helping to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty for good.
Evidence shows that universal primary and secondary education could more than halve the number of people living in poverty worldwide – improving the lives of 420 million individuals. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions where inclusive, quality education could have the most transformative impact.
Championing Women’s Economic Empowerment
Women’s economic inclusion means they can secure their own future, the future of their family, and their community. CAMFED is supporting young women to start sustainable enterprises, creating jobs, and improving the health and wealth of entire nations.
Video: Empowering women through enterprise
Poverty is the greatest barrier to girls accessing an education
- In Malawi, 70.3% of people live below the international monetary poverty line of $1.90 per day.
- In Zambia, 57.5% of people live below the international monetary poverty line of $1.90 per day.
- In Tanzania, 49.1% of people live below the international monetary poverty line of $1.90 per day.
While some countries have abolished school fees at the primary and/or secondary level, household incomes often won’t stretch to cover the required school uniforms, stationery, and other essentials. Where families have resources to support some but not all children, boys may be given priority, as they face fewer barriers to securing economic independence after school.
Girls’ exclusion from education leads to women’s exclusion from the economy
- In Zimbabwe, 53.0% of the female youth population is not in education, training, or employment compared with 36.6% of males.
- In Ghana, 33.3% of the female youth population is not in education, training, or employment compared with 27.7% of males.