Catholic Relief Services is improving the lives of adolescents in Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The Nike Foundation provided funding for CRS to study the impact of the programs on the lives of adolescent girls in the countries. This is part four in a four-part series about these programs.

By Patrick Carney

When Catholic Relief Services began working to help adolescents in Rwanda and Zimbabwe, they had a plan. But, until they got on the ground, met the kids and observed their lifestyle, they couldn’t know for sure the best ways to help give these children a better future.

In these countries, more than 50 percent of farmers are women, and many of them lack basic skills, which hurts their chances for success. Seeing a glaring need, CRS began a program to help adolescent girls receive critical agriculture skills.

Girls in Zimbabwe participated in the Junior Farming Field and Life Skills class where they meet weekly to learn about agriculture, business and life skills. This hands-on course helped the girls learn by trying different techniques in their own gardens. They work with successful farmers to learn which techniques produce the best results and ultimately the highest profits.
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Patience Muganiwa joined a Savings and Internal Lending Community run by Catholic Relief Services in her village. Now, she has enough money to attend school regularly. Photo by Melita Sawyer/CRS

Catholic Relief Services is improving the lives of adolescents in Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The Nike Foundation provided funding for CRS to study the impact of the programs on the lives of adolescent girls in the countries. This is part three in a four-part series about these programs.

By Patrick Carney

Patience could not afford to go to school. She didn’t have enough money for school fees or a uniform so she was turned away and sent home.

Without an education or a trade, she had little hope for a future of anything but poverty. Then she found out about a Savings and Internal Lending Community (SILC) run by Catholic Relief Services in her village. The program brings people together to save, manage their finances and provide members of their community with loans, but this group was different: They allowed adolescent girls to participate in this program typically reserved for adults.
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Sithandazile entered a CRS vocational education program which included 6 months of classroom training and a 6-month apprenticeship with a local business. Photo by Melita Sawyer/CRS

Catholic Relief Services is improving the lives of adolescents in Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The Nike Foundation provided funding for CRS to study the impact of the programs on the lives of adolescent girls in the countries. This is part two in a four-part series about these programs.

By Patrick Carney

Pregnant girls aren’t allowed to go to school in Zimbabwe.

Young mothers don’t have time to go to school in Zimbabwe.

With high rates of teenage pregnancy, it’s very hard to break the cycle of generation after generation of girls leaving school before their education is complete.
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Catholic Relief Services is improving the lives of adolescents in Rwanda and Zimbabwe. The Nike Foundation provided funding for CRS to study the impact of the programs on the lives of adolescent girls in the countries. This is part one in a four-part series about these programs.

By Patrick Carney

When a 12-year-old girl is living in poverty, her future is out of her control. In countries like Rwanda and Zimbabwe, many young girls are married by 14 and pregnant at age 15.

CRS, with the support of The Nike Foundation, is learning how to improve the lives of young women and girls so that entire communities are uplifted.

Investing in a girl’s education and providing her with the tools for economic empowerment builds results one girl at a time.

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