Skills for a brighter future

When she dropped out of school at 16 because of an unwanted pregnancy, Nadège was left with very little choice in life. 

After giving birth, she was unable to go back to school simply because she had no money to pay for school supplies. Her father, unable to work because of a long-term disease, couldn't support her. Nadège saw in front of her a future of struggle to make ends meet, with limited perspectives for her 2-year-old child, Don Owen. 

Now, Nadège’s life is slowly taking a turn for the better. And the future she envisions for her son is much brighter.

It started with the teenage mother joining a solidarity group.

Such groups are very active in Burundi. Their purpose is to empower vulnerable people to take charge of their lives, by contributing to a community saving fund. Savings are later accessible to members in form of credits, to boost or start a business. The aim is also to support the most vulnerable children in the community with health bills or school supplies.

Nadège began by borrowing 10,000 BIF (5 US dollars) to sell tomatoes on the market. She sometimes manages to make a benefit of 500 BIF (0,25 US dollars), which at least pays for the family meal's salt and oil.

In early 2021, UNICEF Burundi, with the support of UNICEF Denmark and the Danish jewelry manufacturer Pandora, made a call for applications for 50 adolescent girls to join the first girl leadership programme, Skills4Girls. Nadège applied and was selected thanks to her community engagement.

The programme is being developed in three provinces in Burundi. For the first cohort, 50 adolescent girls gathered in Bujumbura for five days to attend skill-building sessions and exchange with women mentors.  

Once back in their community, Nadège and her team chose to learn how to make coal out of agricultural waste (mainly coffee and cassava), a cooking fuel that is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the charcoal commonly used in the country.

Nadège is very excited at the idea of starting her own cooking fuel business. “I know it can work, she says, because charcoal is very expensive in my village”.

She introduced the idea to the solidarity group she belongs to. She is also ready to give back to her community and share what she learned.   

Skills4Girls puts a particular focus on the challenges that limit adolescent girls from reaching their full potential. Leadership training and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) education empower girls as change-makers and broadens their economic prospects. Skills4Girls is part of UNICEF Burundi's wider skills programme to ensure every adolescent's successful transition to employability.

By Donaig Le Du – Chief of Communication, UNICEF Burundi