Pascarina’s story
A brighter future
Pascarina Lubinda is 15 years old and lives in the Chitwa community, Zambia. She used to work on tobacco farms and take care of her younger siblings. School was not part of her daily routine. When her parents and women in the village encouraged her to marry a 39-year-old farmer, after a traditional ceremony declared her ready for marriage – they had no idea that they were committing a crime punishable by imprisonment. At a meeting organized by ARISE, peer educators talked about maternal health, life skills, the importance of education. They also talked about child labor and early marriage laws. Pascarina’s parents subsequently ended her engagement. Due to her age, she is unable to re-enter the school system, so she now follows a tailoring course offered by ARISE at the Kaoma Youth Resource Center. One day she would like to make and sell school uniforms, and wants to become a peer educator herself.
