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Every day, Agness Musohda has chores to do. She washes dishes, cleans the house, and cares for her 3-year-old son, Kylie. When she finds some free time, she picks up a tablet and does schoolwork. She attends classes three days a week, leaving her son in the care of her sister.
Musohda, 21, is enrolled in the Digital School Project—a pilot initiative launched by the Education Above All Foundation, VVOB, and Zambia’s Ministry of Education. The project aims to help dropouts return to education.
Zambia has made significant strides in improving access to education since making it free in 2021. However, girls still drop out at higher rates than boys. According to data, more than 16,000 girls reportedly leave school each year due to early marriages and teenage pregnancies. The country’s teenage pregnancy rate is one of the highest globally, with about one-third of women becoming mothers by age 18.
Musohda dropped out at 17 because her family faced financial hardship, forcing her to work as a maid. After having her baby at 19, chances of returning to education seemed slim until she heard about the Digital School Project. She told Newsweek in July that she was “really happy” the project allows her to continue studying while managing her home duties.
Unlike traditional schooling, the project supports students in three districts—Lusaka, Kafue, and Chibombo—by providing one shared tablet between three students loaded with content aligned with Zambia’s national curriculum. They also attend in-person lessons at schools with trained facilitators and coordinators three days a week. The aim is to prepare them for the Grade 7 examination, which certifies completion of primary education, and allow them to continue formal education or vocational training.
Kantu KomaKoma, a coordinator at Mtendere Primary School in Lusaka, said she has seen how the program helps many young mothers return to school. “We are seeing others who dropped out because of teenage pregnancies coming back,” she told Newsweek.
For young mothers, returning to school is rarely about a lack of ambition but a lack of opportunity, according to Christine Redmond from VVOB. The Digital School Project recognizes their determination and offers a flexible pathway that works around the realities of their lives. “These girls and young women are choosing to re-enter education for themselves and their children,” she said.
The Empowering Vulnerable Children with Education (EVE) Project, an initiative by the foundation’s Educate A Child program and World Vision in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to help 7,000 at-risk children. Not only has that target been reached ahead of schedule, but 1,000 out-of-school children have also been brought back.
Precious Himweeba, 22, is one such success story. She dropped out after becoming pregnant at 15 and getting married. Though much older than her classmates, she remains determined to become a nurse by staying in school. “Education gives you your own money and supports you,” she told Newsweek through a translator.
The project also works to change local communities’ mindset about the value of educating girls, said Matrida Mukombo from World Vision Zambia. “We are trying to work with community members to change their mindset,” she explained.
Agness Musohda encourages other young mothers to return to education and not lose hope. “Once you lose hope, you cannot achieve and remove fear,” she said. “If you conquer the fear, you can achieve what you want.” Her mother Mary Lungu also became pregnant as a teenager but hopes Agness will break a generational cycle.
