IMPACTING GIRLS
Empowering girls and young women to be educated, healthy and safe
Across sub-Saharan Africa, girls face significant barriers to completing their education, particularly as they transition from primary to secondary school.
At PEAS, we focus on ensuring girls not only access education, but are supported to stay, succeed, and progress through school and beyond.
An extra year of primary school increases wages for girls by an eventual 10% to 20%.
THE CHALLENGE
Fewer girls than boys complete secondary school, and many leave early due to cost, safety concerns, or social expectations.
Transitions between primary and secondary school are a critical point where many girls drop out.
Even when girls remain in school, they may face environments that do not fully support their participation, confidence, or learning.
OUR APPROACH
PEAS focuses on creating the conditions that enable girls to learn, stay in school, and thrive across both primary and secondary education.
Strong schools that support girls
Our schools are safe, inclusive environments with strong leadership, safeguarding, and cultures that promote participation and achievement.
Targeted support for girls
We provide practical, targeted support to address the barriers girls face in staying and succeeding in school.
This includes:
Girls’ clubs and mentorship, building confidence, leadership, and peer support
Menstrual health education and support, helping girls manage their health and attend school consistently
Safeguarding and wellbeing support, ensuring girls feel safe and supported
Guidance at key transition points, particularly from primary to secondary school
These interventions work alongside strong schools and systems, ensuring that support for girls is both effective and sustainable.
We also provide opportunity for growth through play and engagement in group sport, primarily through our NetGirls Zambia initiative.
Supporting transition and progression
We focus on key transition points, ensuring girls are supported to move from primary to secondary school and complete their education.
Scaling impact through systems
We work with governments to strengthen public education systems so that these approaches can be sustained and expanded across more schools.
Why it matters
When girls complete their education, the impact is far-reaching.
Educated girls are more likely to earn higher incomes, make informed life decisions, and contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.
The benefits extend across generations, improving health, education, and economic outcomes for families and societies.
Ensuring girls succeed in school is one of the most effective ways to drive long-term change.
NetGirls Zambia
100 Teams & 1,000 Girls & Young Women
SUPPORTING GIRLS IN RURAL AFRICA THROUGH NETBALL LEAGUES
Netball is a hybrid between handball and basketball. While boys prefer soccer, netball is the sport of choice for girls across Southern Africa. Unfortunately, funding and access to netball is often limited or takes a backseat to soccer. The Impact Network's NetGirls Zambia initiative empowers and improves the lives of girls by providing opportunity for growth through play and engagement in group sport.
We currently operate in rural villages around Katete district in Eastern Zambia with 100 teams and over a thousand girls competing for the highly sought after league champion title!
WHY GIRLS SPORTS?
In Zambia, girls often miss out on opportunities to play sports because they are expected to help with chores and take care of younger siblings. Yet, research has shown that giving girls the opportunity to play sports has awesome benefits, including: Breaking down gender stereotypes; Building leadership skills; Expanding social networks; Providing female mentorship and role models; Teaching teamwork; Building self-esteem and improving happiness through healthy, social organized activities.
HOW DOES THE LEAGUE WORK?
There are two basic leagues — our Junior League focuses on school-aged girls, while the Varsity League caters to young women over the age of 18. Teams are coached by volunteers and managed at the ward level by local staff. Teams practice daily and hold games with teams from neighboring villages on weekends. Scores and game recaps are announced on local radio and there are zonal and overall tournaments held in Katete.
Initially the focus has been on athletics, however in 2019 we combined the netball league with financial literacy and menstrual health hygiene programs.
Importantly, the cost of the program is just $5 a season per girl.
