By Etona Ekole, UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative
On this International Day of the Girl (October 11), UNICEF Zimbabwe’s Representative, Etona Ekole, highlights the immense potential of Zimbabwean girls and the critical importance of investing in their futures. She stresses that every girl lost to child marriage or school dropout represents a lost future leader. A personal encounter with an aspiring biochemist in Epworth illustrates why shifting perspectives is vital for Zimbabwe’s economic and social progress.
On this International Day of the Girl, my reflections are not on statistics but on a single conversation.
A few months ago, I visited a school in Epworth and found a group of teenage girls huddled over a science experiment, their faces alive with curiosity. I asked one of them about her future aspirations. Without hesitation, she replied: “I want to be a biochemist. We need African solutions—created by us, through science—to solve our own challenges.”
Her clarity and ambition were profound. In her, I saw not just a student but a future leader, innovator, and problem-solver. She embodies this year’s theme: “The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead—Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis.” She understands that her potential is intrinsically linked to the progress of her community and her country.
Her words remind us of the immense potential locked within every Zimbabwean girl. Yet too often, that potential is threatened or silenced. For every aspiring biochemist, there are thousands of girls whose dreams are extinguished far too soon.
The reality is sobering. In Zimbabwe, one in three young women is married before her 18th birthday—a childhood stolen. Nearly a quarter of all secondary school dropouts are due to pregnancy or marriage, and girls make up an overwhelming 96 percent of these cases. More than half of young women aged 15–24 are not in education, employment, or training—double the rate of young men.
Their health, too, is at risk. Adolescent girls face HIV infection rates nearly three times higher than their male peers. Even their safety is uncertain, with 40 percent of women believing a husband is justified in beating his wife.
These intertwined barriers form a wall between a girl and her future. But focusing only on vulnerability misses the most important part of the story: her resilience and leadership. Girls are not waiting to be rescued—they are already leading. They manage households during droughts, care for sick relatives, and innovate in their communities despite scarce resources.
Our role is not to give them a voice but to amplify the powerful voices they already have. To do so, we must collectively:
Dismantle Barriers: Enforce laws against child marriage, expand access to sexual and reproductive health services, and ensure safe school environments where girls can learn without fear. Invest in closing the gender gap in STEM, enabling girls like the aspiring biochemist in Epworth to become the innovators Zimbabwe needs.
Listen and Act: Only 14.5 percent of youth feel actively engaged in decisions affecting them. This must change. As UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell recently noted, creating spaces for girls to influence decisions that affect their lives is part of “a movement to drive positive change.”
With Africa projected to be home to 40 percent of the world’s youth by 2050, she reminds us that their “voices and ideas are essential in shaping the future for the better.” We must create genuine spaces for girls in policymaking, community leadership, and peacebuilding. Their lived experiences are the foundation for effective development.
Investing in girls is the single most effective strategy for building a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable Zimbabwe. When a girl is educated, she invests 90 percent of her income back into her family. When she is healthy and empowered, she raises more educated and resilient children. When girls thrive, nations thrive.
The future envisioned by the young student in Epworth—one of African solutions driven by science and innovation—is not a distant dream. It is a choice we must make today.
Let us mark this International Day of the Girl by committing to decisive action that empowers every girl to become the leader she was born to be.
