This document discusses child marriage in Africa and economic empowerment strategies. It begins by introducing World Vision's goals to end intergenerational poverty cycles through livelihood programs. It then discusses how poverty is a key driver of child marriage in Africa, with over 50% of girls married before 18. Case studies from Mozambique and Uganda show how savings groups, skills training, and social support can empower families and act as "distractions" from child marriage, though more research is still needed. The document concludes by recommending investments in long-term livelihoods, social protection for children, and women's economic empowerment to break cycles of poverty and end child marriage.

1. Child Marriage and Economic
Empowerment of Households
in Africa
Putting Children first Conference,
23- 25th October,Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Paper presented by:
Barbara Kalima-Phiri
World Vision International
barbara_kalima-phiri@wvi.org

2.  Introduction
 Our Promise 2030
 Livelihood Strategic Focus
 Poverty - key driver of child
marriages in Africa
 Mozambique Case Study on
savings groups & child marriages,
and UPLIFT Project Uganda
 Recommendations
CONTENTS

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 WV has launched Global Strategy, Our
Promise 2030
 WV Livelihoods strategy - ending
intergenerational cycles of poverty
 Our response: equipping the MV families with
the knowledge, skills, and resources to ensure
that children/ Adolescents and families are:
• Well nourished and free of hunger
• Resilient livelihoods, income, and assets
• Resources and reasons to be in school
• develop hope and skills for a productive future
 Introduction

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 Extreme Poverty is driving most HH to embark on
negative coping strategies
 Over 50% of girl children are brides before age 18
 Nearly half of all children in sub-SSA live in extreme
poverty-385m children surviving on less than $1.90 a
day (World Bank/UNICEF)
 children will account for 43% of global poverty by
2030 SDGTarget date (ODI Report, 2016).
 Nearly 2m children u14 yrs old are HIV positive in
SSA
 43% of children in SSA do not have safe, accessible
drinking water.
 Poverty driving child marriages

6. Poverty - key driver of child
marriages…others include
1. Economic factors
2. Lack of child policy
enforcement & coordination
3. Traditional and religious
beliefs and practices
G r a p h , c h a r t ,
o r i m a g e c a n
g o i n t h i s
s p a c e

7. Lived Experiences of early marriages
Pontinanta J. from South Sudan has nine siblings
and neither of her parents is employed. She told
Human Rights Watch that she was married in
2006 at the age of 13 because “my father did
not want to pay my school fees. Sometimes we
had no food at home”.
Aguet N., married at age 15 to a 75-year-old
man said,“This man went to my uncles and
paid a dowry of 80 cows. I resisted the marriage.
They threatened me.They said,‘If you want your
siblings to be taken care of, you will marry this
man.’ I said he is too old for me.They said,‘You
will marry this old man whether you like it or
not because he has given us something to eat.
Helen, 16, stands with her husband Jade, 50, outside their home in a
village near Juba. Helen married at 15 and said she would have chosen
school over marriage, but her family was unable to afford school fees.
Source: © 2013 Brent Stirton/Reportage for Human Rights Watch

8. Poverty is driving decisions to marry young. For poor families, with little money even for
food and basic necessities, marrying their daughter early is an economic survival strategy: it
means one less child to feed or educate.

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Pathway out of poverty is about:
 Graduating the most vulnerable families out of
extreme poverty
 Building secure livelihoods and market access
 Promoting sustainable employment
opportunities and;
 Women Economic Empowerment
 World Vision’s Approach to Ending Child Poverty

10.  2year Project ( 2013-2015) implemented in Chongoene located in Gaza Province.
 To contribute to reduction in early marriages among girls aged 12-16 through access to
savings and the provision of social support.
Key Interventions:
 18 Communities were sensitized about the importance of girls’ participation in savings
groups. About 5.800, of whom 80% were teenagers and youth.
 70 Adolescent savings groups formed with 1400 members of whom 60% are girls.
 84 promoters trained on Savings Groups methodologies and SG monitoring;
 800 adolescents trained on personal hygiene, sexual and reproductive health
 35 Religious leaders trained on prevention of early marriages, GBV in partnership with
UJAMA Centre from the University of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa).
 3 religious leaders trained and linked with national forum of religious leaders against early
marriages.
 Used Provincial Radio station to broadcast messages about ending child marriage
 Having started with 40 groups and 60.000,00 Mt ( $1000) savings in FY14, this year the
70 groups have savings of about 320.000,00 Mt ( $5,000) in 9 months.
Mozambique Case Study - Improving the Well-being of Adolescent Girls

11.  Although DHS data for 2011 show a decrease to 48% the number of
girls being married off by age 18, from 52% in 2008 (UNICEF’s Multiple
Indicator Cluster Survey), there is no statistical evidence of
reduction in early marriages among girls aged 12-16 from the
project despite:
Increased access to savings and investment tools
Increased financial literacy
Increased awareness of root causes of early marriage
BUT what is emerging is that:
 Peer education - creating a positive influence and act as a “distraction”
 Creative partnerships forged
 Community engagement improved
 Sustainability of project – use of community promoters
Mozambique Case Study – Emerging Lessons

12. Selected Economic Empowerment
interventions & CWB outcomes
• Destiny Savings Group- World
Vision Sierra Leone
• Ghana, Study (Karlan et Udry,
2012)
• Ghana Study (Cameron et
Ananga, 2013)
• Malawi Study (Ksoll et
Forskningsenhed, 2013).
More Research needed on economic
strengthening and ending early child
marriages
 Income plays a role in building
household assets and meeting basic
needs etc
 Income in a HH is necessary but not
sufficient to reduce early marriages –
other factors at play
 Economic strengthening interventions
act as “distraction”
 Economic strengthening interventions
are more effective when implemented
with complementary activities –
CASH +

13. Change stories Continued…
UPLIFT project-
EmpoweringYouth in
Kampala- WorldVision
Uganda
VIDEO
http://www.wvi.org/video/u
plift-project-empowering-
youth-kampala
Picture: Girls being taught to be a hairdresser (Credit-World Vision Uganda)

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 Any interventions for improving social protection
of children specifically in ending child marriage should
include provision of consumption stipends and
productive asset transfers
 Investment in long term productive resilient
livelihoods programs is essential to break
intergenerational forms of poverty
 Economic empowerment interventions targeting
women are essential to ensuring that the benefits of
livelihood reach children
 Governments need to include children in poverty
reduction plans and policies & ensure that child
poverty is routinely measured and addressed at
national levels
 Proposed Recommendations

16. 1. Invest in impact evaluations to build evidence beyond story telling
to position WV as a thought leader either at the regional level and at
global levels.
2. Consider outsourcing M&E (Impact evaluations and report writing)
to have credible data and evidence for external engagement.
Partnering with universities and M&E agencies should be explored.
3. We have enough raw data that requires documentation to
preposition with donors for funding but also to engage with
governments for scale up of our approaches and our Campaign.This
requires dedicated person to do documentation for targeted
audiences
3 Issues for SLT to Consider