Dorothy Makina is a woman of many talents—she’s a hardworking farmer, a devoted mother and grandmother, and a fierce advocate against gender-based violence. In 2019, she and the women of her community came together to form a saving’s group—but it has since become so much more than that. Makina knew that she could leverage the group to educate dozens more women on gender equality. In the small town of Senanga in Zambia’s Western Province, Makina is a witness to, and activist against, the gender inequity that plagues her community.
Women and girls throughout Zambia often do not have access to quality education and child marriages and young pregnancy are common. Hunger fuels this cycle, and vice versa: when women and families with young girls lack the resources to stay fed, safe, and healthy, they often seek economic stability through marriage. Many feel as though they have no other options, but life does not always improve after marriage. Women typically eat last and least, and many experience violence or abuse at home. In fact, the country has some of the highest levels of gender-based violence reported in the world, with over 42% experiencing physical or sexual violence from their partner in their life, and over 25% experiencing the same in the last year alone. Gender norms in the community prevent women from breaking out of this cycle, even when they are mistreated and discriminated against by their spouses and peers.
“The problem is [lack of] knowledge,” says Makina. “You know, if the children go to school then they go forward and see others what they are doing, but here in the village, there are no teachers. There is no one. So the children only know marriage.”
In Zambia, 39% of girls are married by the age of 18. In desperate situations, families facing poverty often marry off their daughter in return for livestock or money. It’s a critical challenge that Makina has spent years trying to address.
“First, you go to the family,” she says. “Second, the teachers and counselors at the schools. Then, the NGOs, or a victim support and social affairs unit.”
Even after following these steps, Makina cannot save all young girls from early marriage. She says that increased education would help to confront this crisis. There is a low literacy rate in her community, and many are unaware of how frequently child marriages result in gender-based violence. Local police are not engaged or motivated to fix the problem, says Makina, typically for fear of retaliation.
Child marriage goes hand in hand with early pregnancy. Nearly 30% of adolescent girls throughout the country become pregnant by 18. Young girls who become pregnant, including instances of rape or assault, are married off quickly afterwards. This usually stems from cultural norms that associate shame with pregnant, unmarried girls.
When leading discussions for the 30 women in her group, Makina often receives backlash from conversations surrounding safe sex. Some people in her community believe that sex should not be discussed in school classrooms for fear it encourages and leads to early pregnancy, but Makina disagrees. Many girls face shame when going to their families or even local health clinics. Makina believes that girls need safe, welcoming environments to learn about sex and family planning.
“Schools are the critical place to share family planning information,” she tells her group.
Lack of education and poverty are some of the primary drivers for gender-based violence in Makina’s community. Alcohol abuse also runs rampant throughout the town, and Makina says that intoxication also leads to physical violence: “Some men are drinking beer all day, and when the wife talks back to him, he beats her.”
To make matters worse, says Makina, many men sap their family’s small reserves of money to purchase alcohol. Instead of paying for school fees and supplies, they spend it on liquor. This further exacerbates a family’s poverty, preventing young girls from pursuing an education or accessing future careers.
In Zambia, gender inequity drives hunger for women across the country. Action Against Hunger is committed to ensuring equity for all. We’re empowering women, tackling the root causes of hunger and equipping communities with the tools they need to be resilient.
Makina and her group are in agreement: education is the first step in sparking change. It’s a powerful tool to combat gender-based violence. Thankfully, in 2022, Zambia’s government introduced the Free Education Policy, a measure that provides free education from primary through secondary school in all publicly funded schools. Many of these institutions still have many needs—including adequate staffing, better infrastructure, and supplies—but the policy is still a big step forward for gender equity. It has allowed more children, girls and boys, to access education regardless of household income.
Makina has a long way to go before achieving equality throughout her community. But she won’t give up. She’ll continue to partner with Action Against Hunger in their Zambia project, which addresses climate change as an underlying cause of hunger and malnutrition. This program chose to operate in Senanga due to its high rates of poverty and hunger. Through the cowpea project, farmers such as Makina and many women in the saving’s group, are able to improve their livelihoods and adapt to climate change disasters, while also increasing food security for their families.
Last week, organizations around the world honored the United Nations 16 Days of Activism, a campaign dedicated to ending gender-based violence against women and girls. Although the commemoration period ended on Dec. 10, our work is far from over. We won’t stop working until all women and girls have access to education, enough food to eat, and improved livelihoods. Action Against Hunger is committed to achieving gender equity and creating a world free from hunger and violence for all.
