13.10.2015 - In Sub-Saharan Africa, where Enfants du Monde operates, over one third of girls under the age of 18 are already married. Their families often think of them as an economic burden and marry them off early. In most cases, early marriage means the end of education for these girls. Overnight, the young bride has to drop out of school to devote herself to her new family. Finishing school or learning professional skills is out of the question.

And yet, it is girls who are educated and fulfilled that can contribute and participate most in the social and economic development of their communities. This is why Enfants du Monde focuses so much on girls’ education and why half of the students in the schools we support are girls.

Moreover, Enfants du Monde and its local partners work on raising awareness among parents about the effective investment that girls’ education represents for everyone’s future. And specially, about the fact that early marriage is not the only option that exists for girls to support themselves and their families.
In Burkina Faso and Niger, we help more than 4’430 children, half of which are girls.

Find more information about our education programmes