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Champions to End Child Marriage in Africa
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Champions leading to end child marriage in Africa

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Portrait of Isatou Jeng, a founding member of The Girls’ Agenda, a youth-led movement established in 2011 by the young, for the young in The Gambia.

When Isatou Jeng became pregnant as a teenager, her uncles urged her to get married. Her mother, however, insisted that Jeng return to school—which is what she did, ultimately earning a college degree in political science.

Jeng said she and her fellow advocates encourage girls to pursue their educations and delay marriage, and they’re starting to see results.

“With the work of young women’s rights organizations like mine, we are engaging schools, both primary schools and secondary schools, empowering them to understand the importance of education in their lives—not to get to grade 12 and then decide to get married because that’s just the beginning of everything,” Jeng said. “So now more girls are determined to pursue higher education, and that is actually having an effect, a positive effect, on reducing the prevalence rate of child marriage in the Gambia.”

For a portrait series on champions leading to end child marriage in Africa. All images made at the first-ever African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage, held in Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting aimed to facilitate exchange of good practices and challenges in ending child marriage, and to secure and renew commitments from African stakeholders.

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Stephanie Sinclair
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www.stephaniesinclair.com
Portrait of Isatou Jeng, a founding member of The Girls’ Agenda, a youth-led movement established in 2011 by the young, for the young in The Gambia.<br /> <br /> When Isatou Jeng became pregnant as a teenager, her uncles urged her to get married. Her mother, however, insisted that Jeng return to school—which is what she did, ultimately earning a college degree in political science.<br /> <br /> Jeng said she and her fellow advocates encourage girls to pursue their educations and delay marriage, and they’re starting to see results.<br /> <br /> “With the work of young women’s rights organizations like mine, we are engaging schools, both primary schools and secondary schools, empowering them to understand the importance of education in their lives—not to get to grade 12 and then decide to get married because that’s just the beginning of everything,” Jeng said. “So now more girls are determined to pursue higher education, and that is actually having an effect, a positive effect, on reducing the prevalence rate of child marriage in the Gambia.”<br /> <br /> For a portrait series on champions leading to end child marriage in Africa. All images made at the first-ever African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage, held in Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting aimed to facilitate exchange of good practices and challenges in ending child marriage, and to secure and renew commitments from African stakeholders.