“Society has deprived our women of a proper education. I want things to be different for my girls.”

Lanford Mulauzi has three daughters. The first born was married last year to a teacher at the local school in Chikando village, but he is determined that his other two daughters, Memory (20) and Christabelle (18) will not be allowed to marry until they have finished university.

“Most other girls of their age would be mothers by now, but I want better things for them than just a domestic life,” he says. “As a parent, my wish is to see my girls working in challenging jobs, so they can lead better lives, and provide a good example to other women in the community.”

A tiny minority of women, especially in rural areas, attend third level education in Zambia. Just one in five young people complete grade 12, and of these school leavers, just 8 per cent go to university. Young men outnumber women in university by three to two.

Lanford is one of the bigger farmers in Chikando, and he also owns a small shop. His income, however, is still far too small to send two children to college at the same time. Memory wants to be a teacher, and Christabelle would like to study nursing, but fees for these courses at public universities average about 2 million Kwacha (€320) per term for at least two years.

“At the moment I am financially handicapped. I have been saving for two years now, and I hope one of them will be able to start next year. I know the value of education and how it will change their lives for the better, so it will be worth it.”

“I am hopeful that they will both complete their education. If they succeed, and are happy in their professions, I will die a proud man.”

Lanford says that many people in the community think he is stupid, that he should allow his daughters to marry like all the other girls, but he is determined.

“At the moment, they are helping me at the farm and in my shop, but they are both looking for something more constructive to do, like some voluntary work in the community. This experience will also stand to them in the future,” he says.

“I am hopeful that they will both complete their education. If they succeed, and are happy in their professions, I will die a proud man.”