OAGCEMA

About us

OAGCEMA- Organisation Against Girl-Child Early Marriage in Africa. In Zambia, early marriages are still high. According to UNFPA 2008 report, the rate of births for girls aged between 15 and 19 years was 125 out of 1000.
The effects of early marriage are devastating. Girls married younger suffer major disadvantages physically, socially emotionally and economically. These girls are at a greater risk for reproductive health complications and gender based including marital rape, sexually transmitted infections and HIV, obstructed labor and obstetric fistula. Due to domination and exploitation by their older husbands and in-laws, they are not able to create supportive social or economic networks through their families or friends, are most likely to get divorced or abandoned at a young age, and are more likely to run away from home and become exposed to risk behaviours in the cities, including prostitution. They do not complete their schooling and thus are more likely to get impoverished and suffer from malnutrition.[1] Additionally their off-springs are more likely to suffer malnutrition creating a vicious cycle of poverty.

Vision
“Preventing Girl Child Early Marriages and Fostering Girl Child Empowerment through Education”

Mission Statement
“A Society were Girls are allowed to be biologically, socially, emotionally and financially ready before being married off”

Overall Strategic Objective
“To empower the girls and the community with knowledge and skills to eradicate early marriages in Africa”