Transforming Futures
Supporting adolescent and young mothers in Eastern and Southern Africa through peer and community models
Highlights
At UNICEF, we believe in young people.
When we empower girls, they can shape their own futures. They become leaders and changemakers in their communities and societies. By investing in adolescent health and wellbeing, we can bring benefits today, for decades to come, and at the scale needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on good health and well-being (SDG3) and gender equality (SDG5).
Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing population on earth, with a median age of 19. Within the next decade, Africa’s workforce will be a billion-strong. With this population boom, supporting adolescent girls—including young mothers—will be crucial to tapping into a huge opportunity we have to reduce inequality across the continent.
