Breaking Taboos, Saving Futures
Petauke District, Zambia | Breaking Taboos, Saving Futures - Ma Shifters | 2025
Muli bwanji!
We are Ma Shifters, a youth-led movement that has spent three years transforming Petauke District from a place where nearly 40% of teenagers faced pregnancy into a community where taboos are breaking, parents are talking, and futures are being saved. Since 2023, we've been fighting hard to prove that when communities choose conversation over silence, education over tradition, and empowerment over control, change becomes inevitable.
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16 to 24 years old
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The Right-Sized Problem
Traditional norms, myths, and taboos caused by lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information lead to teenage pregnancy and child marriage in Petauke. Parents avoid discussing sexuality with their children, leaving young people misinformed and vulnerable. Without accurate information and support, girls are forced into early marriages, ending their education and trapping families in cycles of poverty.
Our Three-Year Journey
2023: We started by identifying 19 hotspots with the Ministry of Health and launched our edutainment approach, using music, dance, and drama to engage 4,536 people across 14 hotspot areas, proving that creative outreach could inspire dialogue where silence once ruled.
2024: We expanded with roadshows and community dialogues across 22 hotspot areas, dropping teenage pregnancy rates from 25 to 8 cases per month and engaging 50,000 people as parents began recognizing Shifters as role models.
2025: We innovated further by partnering with the Ministry of Health to create mobile clinics during campaigns, reaching 26,774 people across 30 villages with results that speak for themselves: teenage pregnancy reduced by 15%, child marriage dropped by 42.5%, and family planning access nearly tripled.
What We Did
Building on three years of trust and momentum, we took our campaign to new heights.
Offline Impact
Drama & Edutainment: Performed powerful theatrical pieces bringing the realities of early pregnancy and marriage to life in communities across Petauke.
Ministry of Health Mobile Clinics: Innovated onsite access to SRHR services during campaigns, including family planning, condoms, HIV testing, and STI screening, removing barriers that prevented adolescents from accessing care.
Sports for Community Mobilization: Used football and netball to gather girls, boys, men, and women, creating fun, safe spaces where conversations about sexual health could happen naturally.
Door-to-Door Outreach: Shifters conducted home visits, engaging families directly and identifying urgent cases requiring immediate intervention.
Online & Media Impact
Live Radio Coverage: Partnered with local radio stations to broadcast campaigns live, creating demand beyond Petauke District and inspiring other communities to request our presence.
Social Media Campaigns: Shared campaign updates and educational content on Save the Children Zambia platforms, amplifying our message across the country.
Campaign Impact
15% reduction in teenage pregnancy (790 cases in Q1 2024 to 688 cases in Q1 2025)
42.5% reduction in child marriage (200 cases in Q1 2025 to 85 cases in Q2 2025)
Nearly tripled family planning access among adolescent girls (2,250 in Q2 2024 to 6,017 in Q2 2025)
26,774 people reached across 30 hotspot villages
Demand creation beyond project areas through radio coverage
During one campaign, an 11-year-old boy named James approached a Shifter with a dream in his eyes. Despite never attending school due to his parents' divorce, James yearned to learn. His guardian was unaware of education's importance and wasn't inclined to send him. Witnessing James's determination, the team explained that education is free and accessible to all children. Moved by his courage and the campaign, the guardian agreed to enroll him, reaffirming the power of shift campaigns in opening doors and giving children hope.
Following another campaign, Shifters conducting door-to-door outreach learned of a 16-year-old girl who gave birth while in 5th Grade and was about to be married off for just K100. The Shifters, together with the village headman, intervened swiftly, engaging the parents about the importance of education and risks of early marriage. Their efforts paid off—the parents canceled the wedding and returned the bride price. The young girl resumed her education and reclaimed her future.
Follow our journey:
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.
