“School vs Early Marriage”

In Cameroon, girls in rural communities are sometimes considered as child brides and get married off before reaching their physical and mental maturity. The matter in these cases is that marriage for these girls means no chance to continue their studies as they stop going to school when they are married.

Plan advocates for girl’s right to education. Therefore, encouraging the retention of girls in schools, and improving their performances remains one of Plan's objectives in the East province of the country.

Fadimatou

Fadimatou holds on to her studies

Fadimatou has refused to get married so she could to continue her studies as far as university could get her. Fadimatou, 20, is one of the ten children of her family. Her parents, started encouraging her to stick to her education despite relatives and other tribe members. Her relatives strongly believed that the future and dignity of a girl is firmly secured only in her marital home.

Plan's progam helps girls to study further

Three years ago, when her parents were about to give up due to insufficiency of means to foster her education, Fadimatou had the opportunity to be enrolled with Plan as a student scholar, after several discussions with her parents. She had just passed to Form 5.
Since she has joined the program along with 30 other girls facing similar circumstances, she has been very active on the early marriage issue, and the promotion of girl education. She now conducts community sessions directed to parents and to her peers.

Fadimatou’s performance in school has improved. She was recently admitted to the Baccalaureate A4 at the 2007-2008 examination sessions. Her parents are now planning to send her to one of the faculties in the State University of Yaoundé 1.
 Fadimatou says: “At the time I met Plan, my parents were getting discouraged. As we were growing up, the means were not sufficient anymore. Therefore, the choice was made that the boys would get the chance to study further. The scholarship support came in due time for me and I had then decided that only school will give my husband. Till now, I am of that opinion”.

A better future for girls

Fadimatou’s case is similar to that of many other girls in Cameroon, sent into forced marriages. But scholarship programs help to change the situation and, reaching beyond school fees and uniforms, combine cross-cutting themes such as mentoring, HIV/AIDS awareness education, and community participation activities to promote not only a higher level of girls' enrollment in school, but a higher level of retention of these girls in school and better achievement.