On March 19, 2023, the Graça Machel Trust’s Adolescent Girls Movement Programme hosted its 3rd annual Pan African Adolescent Girls Jubilee. The hybrid event provided a significant dialogue and connected over 250 high-spirited adolescent girls and young women aged 10 to 20 in five African countries to address some of the most pressing issues faced by teenage girls in Africa.
This year’s convening, held under the theme “Promoting quality education to transform the holistic development of African Adolescent Girls,” was set against the backdrop of a region with the highest adolescent birth rates and notable challenges in female education retention. With the presence of changemakers, key stakeholders, and partner organizations at the forefront of contributing to the advancement of adolescent girls, the Jubilee carved out space for critical conversations and collaborative solution-building.
The Jubilee stood out as a call to action, signalling the need for increased participation of adolescents in crafting solutions that address the factors inhibiting their education. By creating a platform where girls could share the barriers to their school retention, the event voiced their collective concerns and reinforced the importance of the Pan African Adolescent Girls Movement. It marked a step forward in expanding the movement’s membership and understanding, signalling a collective rise to the challenge of educating an African girl fit for the 21st century and building resilient education systems for a continent in the throes of transformation.
Here is a sneak peek into the jubilee event
Learn more about the Graça Machel Trust’s Adolescent Girls Movement here