ZANACO moves to empower girls with mobility to school, prevent early marriages

Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) has extended support to World Vision to aid more than 50 female pupils at Kashima Secondary School in Mufumbwe district, North-Western Province.

The bank provided 50 bicycles valued at K175,000 in support of female pupils in the province.

Chief Executive Officer, Mukwandi Chibesakunda, stated that the bicycles would not only facilitate easy travel to and from school for girls but also empower them to break free from the cycle of early marriages and pursue their dreams.

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Chibesakunda said this in a statement in Lusaka on Tuesday during the donation of the bicycles to World Vision under a campaign named ‘Strong Girls, Strong Zambia,’ which aimed to retrieve 15,000 girls from early marriages in the country.

“According to statistics, two in every five girls is forced into marriage with 42 percent of them under the age of 18 and nine percent under the age of 15 and as a financial institution deeply committed to the well-being and development of communities, we believe that these statistics can be reduced through initiatives such as this one,” she said.

Chibesakunda had stated that recepients of the bicycles have had to walk six to eight hours to get to their weekly boarding accommodation in order to attend classes at the nearest school.

“These boarding facilities have no adult supervision for these young girls who are constantly at risk of sexual harassment and attacks by hostile community members,” she added.

Chibesakunda urged other organizations, individuals and institutions to support the initiative.

“Let us all unite in this worthy cause and work towards a future where every girl has the opportunity to thrive and succeed,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, World Vision Zambia Chief Executive Officer, John Hasse, added that the move by ZANACO cuts down travel time, significantly allowing more time for girls to focus on their education and personal growth.

“Since the launch of this fundraiser last December, 320 bicycles have been pledged out of the target of 2000. We need more people to join us and make this target achievable,” Hasse said.

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