On October 11, 2026, Gorongosa National Park celebrated the International Day of the Girl in Vunduzi, an administrative post in Gorongosa District, under the theme “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights.” The celebration brought together girls, community leaders, and local government representatives in support of girls’ rights and education.
The program included traditional dances, theater performances, and poetry, along with a friendly football match between teams from Gorongosa and Gondola, which the Gorongosa girls won. Participants also planted native trees, linking girls’ potential with care for the environment around them.
This year also marked ten years of the Gorongosa Girls’ Clubs. The program began in 2016 to support girls’ education, prevent child marriage, and develop the next generation of female leaders in communities across the park’s Sustainable Development Zone. It has since grown to six districts: Gorongosa, Nhamatanda, Dondo, Muanza, Marínguè, and Cheringoma. Today it supports more than 2,000 girls through 100 clubs.
The clubs focus on the points where girls most often leave school: dropout in primary school and low retention at the secondary level. Weekday study sessions, school materials, uniforms, and other support help girls stay enrolled and keep working toward their goals.
The clubs also give girls a safe space to speak up, build self-esteem, and discover their talents. Mentors, known locally as madrinhas (godmothers), work alongside youth leaders to guide members through career counseling, health education, and awareness work on child marriage and gender-based violence. Earlier this year, eight club members represented Gorongosa at Mozambique’s National Girls’ Forum.
Eligible girls and mentors can also receive scholarships for secondary school and technical training. Looking ahead, Gorongosa National Park has set a goal of helping 20,000 girls complete secondary school by 2035.
The United Nations established the International Day of the Girl in 2011 to draw attention to the barriers girls face in education, health, and safety. In rural Mozambique, early marriage is closely tied to girls leaving school. Mozambique outlawed marriage before the age of 18 in 2019, but ending the practice depends on families and community leaders, which is why their presence in Vunduzi mattered.
On the clubs’ tenth anniversary, the park thanks the mentors, youth leaders, families, community leaders, government representatives, and partners who have contributed to the program’s results over the past decade.
The celebration in Vunduzi was a reminder that when girls have the chance to learn, the confidence to speak, and support to pursue their goals, whole communities benefit.
