Marriage, Yes, but School First!
Ségou Region, Mali | Marriage, Yes, but School First! - Jigiya Shifters | 2025
Bonjour!
We are the Jigiya Shifters, a growing movement of over 40 young people across Bla, Touna, Kemeni, Nampasso, and Cinzana who refuse to stay silent while child marriage steals girls' futures. In 2025, we are on our second year of Marriage, Yes, but School First!, a campaign challenging deeply rooted traditions that force girls to marry before they can finish their education. We're not outside experts. We're local youth wearing matching purple t-shirts with our campaign mascot, presenting a united front with a message both respectful and revolutionary: let girls learn first, marry later.
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18 to 30 years old
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The Right-Sized Problem
Too many parents don't fully understand how education transforms lives, and the lack of real communication means girls' voices go unheard. When money is tight, girls are the first pulled from school, with child marriage becoming the chosen path that cuts short their dreams and traps families in cycles of poverty.
What We Did
We knew sustainable change requires partnership, not confrontation. So we engaged local authorities, community leaders, grandmothers, and families through a campaign that mixed tradition with bold creativity.
Offline Impact
Massive Campaign Launch in Bla: Brought together 2,891 people (1,451 females and 1,440 males) for an unforgettable day featuring grandmother leaders performing a powerful song about protecting girls, theatrical skits by young Shifters showing the consequences of early pregnancies, and slams and poems capturing both the silent suffering of child brides and the bright futures girls deserve.
Musical Performances: Featured Mama Le Succès, a rapper recognized beyond local borders, who delivered a rhythmic and hopeful performance calling on communities to break the chains of regressive norms that hinder girls' empowerment.
400 School Kits Distributed: Addressed the cost barriers that force families to choose which children to educate by providing kits to disadvantaged children across Bla, Touna, Nampasso, and Cinzana.
32 Educational Discussion Sessions: Organized with community groups across the region, creating spaces for honest conversations about girls' rights and the importance of education.
Interactive Q&A Sessions: Engaged communities with questions about children's rights, making learning fun and participatory.
Online & Media Impact
16-Day Digital Campaign: #ZeroMariageBefore18 Partnered with Child Parliament to connect gender-based violence prevention with digital safety, spreading the message "A click can hurt. A gesture can save" and linking online violence to how child marriage destroys girls' dreams.
National Television Coverage: Featured on ORTM (National TV), bringing our message to audiences across Mali.
Campaign Impact
Reached 2,891 people directly through the launch event and thousands more through educational sessions.
Built strong partnerships with Junior Chamber International, grandmothers' groups, and Local Protection Committees.
Our most powerful victory came from persistence and community solidarity. A parent had withdrawn his children from school for several months so they could work with him in the fields. With the support of the community, we Shifters successfully raised awareness with this parent. Today, those children have returned to school through the accelerated and bridge schooling strategy for out-of-school and never-schooled children.
One young Shifter explained
"After this campaign, I would like us to continue the work on the ground."
Describing plans for community debates, informal discussions, and theatrical performances. We understand that changing deeply rooted practices requires sustained engagement.
Follow our journey:
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This story was lovingly curated by the SHIFT team with the help of Claude (Anthropic) based on submitted source materials from our Fun Adults and Shifters.
