Prevent Child Marriage
Delay the marriages of 100 at-risk girls from rural Bangladesh, enabling them to continue their education and pursue lives they choose for themselves.
A girl in Bogra free from a life of domestic servitude and ready to choose her own path.
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Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage worldwide, with one in three girls getting married before age 18. Economic hardships drive many parents to marry off their young daughters, perceiving them as financial burdens, in a bid to reduce household expenses and secure dowry payments. Sadly, many families are unaware of the grave challenges that girls face when forced into marriage before reaching adulthood. These challenges include the the risk of domestic violence inflicted by both husbands and in-laws. Premature pregnancies resulting from child marriage can also lead to life-threatening complications.
The Covid pandemic intensified this crisis, particularly in villages where many small family-owned businesses crumbled. Adding to their difficulties, these families reside in areas highly susceptible to climate change, with frequent and devastating monsoons destroying their homes and livelihoods. In the face of such challenges, economic stability and the empowerment of independent women have become more critical than ever.
Fathers and local officials agree on loan contracts that prevent and delay their daughters’ marriages.
Last year, local leader Eve Karim initiated a groundbreaking initiative to tackle this crisis, offering zero-interest microfinance loans to families who were at the point of forcing their daughters into marriage due to economic pressures. These loans are contingent on families establishing income-generating activities, ensuring their daughters finish high school, and pledging against marriages before the age of 18.
Eve's pilot program yielded great success, liberating 30 young women from child marriage and into higher education (you can read some of their stories below). Now Eve is ready to extend this life-changing support to an additional 100 families.
Through investments in business ventures, families can achieve improved financial stability and increased income, leading to a higher standard of living and greater economic independence. With the financial burden alleviated, daughters in these families gain the opportunity to pursue education, enhancing their literacy, knowledge, and future employment prospects. This project's focus on education and economic empowerment acts as a protective barrier against early child marriages, significantly reducing their likelihood.
By preventing early child marriages, not only are girls' physical well-being protected, but the mental and emotional suffering associated with forced early marriages is alleviated, resulting in improved mental health and overall well-being. These positive changes within families have a broader impact on the community, leading to improved living conditions, increased economic activity, and enhanced access to education, ultimately contributing to the overall development of the community.
Scroll through to read stories of liberated young women.
Meet Eve
The Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur supporting vulnerable girls and women in Bangladesh
Like many Bangladeshis, Eve grew up surrounded by poverty with few opportunities for formal, stable work. Her parents sacrificed a lot to send Eve to school and she managed to not only get educated, but obtain a prestigious Master’s degree in the US. As a student, Eve volunteered in the slums of Dhaka, and through this experience she came to realise that she didn’t want to work only for herself, but for the most vulnerable people of Bangladesh. Learn more.