Telling the ECSA Story

CARE supports girls in Somalia to access education and to stay in school. At just 16, Khadija* has achieved something remarkable: she became the top student in Jubaland state, Somalia, in the national Grade 8 exams. Her success is a personal victory and a powerful testament to the transformative impact of the Girls' Education and Empowerment Program (GEEPS) in Somalia. One that may not have been reali z ed due to circumstances beyond her control.     Khadija , born into a big family in Kismayo, knows firsthand the struggles girls face in Somalia. Education is a distant dream for many girls, held back by poverty, droughts, early marriage, the constant threat of conflict, dwindling resources that forced parents to prioritize boys' education, and harmful traditions that kept them from reaching their potential. Khadija 's goal of becoming a teacher seemed almost unattainable , overshadowed by her community's harsh realities of life.     "I used to watch other girls...

In the Mutare rural district, many young people are trapped in a cycle of poverty, hindered by inadequate education and scarce resources. For Lisa , a 17-year-old Chitora Secondary School Zimunya Ward 21 student , this was a common case she knew affected her community. Like many students, Lisa found it difficult to imagine a future beyond secondary school, as the consistently low Ordinary-level exam pass rates cast a shadow over her aspirations. Also, t he lack of resources and support made the journey seem overwhelming and challenging.   Lisa 's family situation further compounded her predicament. Her three older siblings had struggled to navigate the education system, leaving Lisa with little guidance or hope. With her parents struggling to make ends meet, it was Lisa's dream to transform the family’s standard of life for the better and a good education was the gateway to that dream.   "I was facing immense difficulties with my studies," Lisa confessed, her voic...

A cross-sectional view of the temporary structures that new arrivals from Somalia have built on the edge of Dagahaley. CARE Across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, the Horn of Africa is experiencing the extreme effects of climate change. Compounded by other factors, the impacts on communities have been catastrophic. CARE calls for the full funding of the Humanitarian Resource Plan in all countries to save lives. The region is facing the worst food crisis in over 40 years, which has left over 31 million people in need of emergency assistance. Due to failed rainy seasons, two locust invasions, conflict, and rising prices of basic commodities in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, communities in the region have been decimated, leading to the migration of over 2.5 million people. Additionally, malnutrition has been on the rise for children in all three countries as families have lost their way of earning a living. In the Horn of Africa, pastoralism used to be one of the key ways of earning a ...