Educate and Empower 18,000 Girls in Zimbabwe

Across Zimbabwe, thousands of adolescent girls face profound barriers to education, and economic opportunity.   Yet in Bulawayo, a quiet transformation is taking place among teenage girls who are learning to grow food, run agri-businesses, and uplift their families.

The Sandra Jones Centre vocational skills training program, anchored in hands-on agricultural skills, aims to equip girls with the tools they need to build sustainable and independent futures. Participants learn climate-smart farming, soil management, crop production, poultry and pig rearing, agro-processing, and financial literacy. For many, this is the first time they have been offered practical vocational skills—skills they can immediately put to use.

Zimbabwean girls frequently confront obstacles—early marriage, poverty, gender-based discrimination, limited access to land, and a lack of educational resources. Our program addresses these challenges by combining technical training with mentorship, life-skills development, and leadership workshops.

Participants learn how to advocate for their rights, communicate confidently and start small enterprises.

The success of our program demonstrates an inspiring truth: when girls are educated, they become powerful agents of change. They uplift families, strengthen food security, and contribute to the national economy.

From girls who now supply vegetables to local markets, to those who have launched small poultry projects, each success story is a reminder of what is possible when a young woman is given access to knowledge and support. Parents speak proudly of daughters who now contribute to household income.

One participant said it best:
"I used to think farming was for older people. Now I know it is for leaders. And I can be one."

Educating and empowering 18,000 girls in Zimbabwe is more than a development initiative—it is a long-term investment in national prosperity. When girls grow, communities grow. When girls lead, nations thrive.

The seeds have been planted. The transformation has begun. And with continued support, Zimbabwean girls will cultivate futures rich with opportunity, equality, and hope.

The team here at the American Foundation for Children with AIDS thanks you for supporting this project and the work we do for the children in Africa.  If you would like to learn even more about what we do or how you can meet some of the children you have helped, please contact Tanya Weaver at tweaver@AFCAids.org.