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Viewpoint

Breaking Barriers: Advancing

Girls’ Education in Africa

By Phyllis Broughton and Oshiomowe Momodu

This article explores the significant challenges faced by girls in Africa in accessing
education and how these barriers perpetuate cycles of poverty. Girls often face
obstacles, such as long distances to schools, financial hardships, hunger, and

physical, mental, or emotional abuse. Despite these challenges, educating girls has
proven to be a transformative force, not only for individuals but also for communities
and nations. Such education reduces the likelihood of early marriage, street hawking,
and low-wage labor while contributing to improved family incomes and economic

growth. This reflective article emphasizes the need for comprehensive strategies
that address both in-school and external-environmental factors that impact girls’
access to education.

Since 1997, DKG has partnered with United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to
support educational access for girls in Africa through the Schools for Africa initiative. At the 2024 DKG
International Convention, members approved a new collaboration with UNICEF: the “Girls Initiative to
Revitalize Learning and Success” (GIRLS) project, which continues to support educational access for
girls in Africa. The GIRLS fund provides financial support to address critical barriers that prevent girls
from receiving an education. The initiative aims to understand and address the obstacles girls face in their
pursuit of learning and to provide support for them.
According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID, archived before January
2021), girls worldwide face numerous challenges that hinder their access to education. These obstacles
stem from factors such as “poverty, geographical location, minority status, disability, early marriages
and pregnancy, gender-based violence, and traditional attitudes about the
roles of girls and women” (para. 1). These challenges are prevalent across
Africa, including at Zaimani’s Girls School, which is discussed here.
This article examines the authors’ experiences in African schools.
Broughton shares her personal connection to the UNICEF and DKG
initiative via an interview with one of her former graduate students,
Momodu, who serves as the director of Zaimani’s Girls School in Bida,
Niger State, Nigeria. As the authors examined the obstacles in Africa for
girls, the barriers and bottlenecks facing girls are stark. Educating girls
extends beyond the classroom, as environmental factors often hinder
learning. Many of these girls enter the classroom already burdened by
limited educational opportunities, whether due to the long distances from
their homes to quality schools, an inability to pay fees, or hunger. In some
cases, they may also be suffering from physical, mental, or emotional
abuse. According to Momodu, these girls must trek as far as 2 miles to
reach school in the morning. By the time they arrive at their classroom, Oshiomowe Momodu

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