Prevent Child Marriage
Delay the marriages of at-risk girls from rural Bangladesh, enabling them to continue their education and pursue lives they choose for themselves.
Jannati, a girl in Char Shonpocha now free from a life of domestic servitude and ready to choose her own path.
Young girls raise awareness of the benefits to society when they stay in school.
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Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage worldwide, with one in three girls married before the age of 18. Economic hardship drives many parents to marry off their daughters early, both to reduce household expenses and to secure dowry payments. Many families are unaware of the grave risks of child marriage - domestic violence from husbands and in-laws, life-threatening complications from premature pregnancies, and the loss of a girl’s right to education and independence.
Fathers and local officials agree on loan contracts that prevent and delay their daughters’ marriages.
The Covid pandemic intensified this crisis as small family businesses collapsed. At the same time, families in rural areas face frequent, devastating monsoons that destroy homes and livelihoods, leaving them more vulnerable. In this context, economic stability and the empowerment of independent women have become more critical than ever.
Last year, local leader Eve Karim launched a groundbreaking initiative to address these challenges. She provided zero-interest microfinance loans to families on the verge of marrying off their daughters due to economic pressures. The loans were tied to strict conditions: families had to invest in income-generating activities, ensure their daughters remained in school through high school, and pledge against marriage before the legal age of 18. Fathers and local officials signed contracts to uphold these commitments.
Green card: Let women’s awakening be the reason child marriage ends.
Red card: I will stand on my own feet. I will choose my own marriage.
Eve’s pilot program was a great success. It freed 23 girls from child marriage, kept them in education, and improved family incomes. Her team also conducted awareness-raising campaigns that were highly effective in reducing gender-based violence, while promoting the benefits of keeping girls in school and out of early marriages. In the village of 5,000 people, this combined approach has already led to a 20% drop in child marriage.
Now Eve is ready to expand this life-changing work. Each $250 loan enables one family to stabilise its income and secure a daughter’s right to education and safety. Beyond protecting girls’ physical and emotional well-being, these investments raise their status from “liabilities” to “assets,” creating ripple effects across the whole community - improving livelihoods, boosting economic activity, and protecting girls of the next generation.
Scroll through to read stories of liberated young women.
Meet Eve
The Forbes 30 under 30 entrepreneur supporting vulnerable girls and women in Bangladesh
Like many Bangladeshis, Eve grew up surrounded by poverty with few opportunities for formal, stable work. Her parents sacrificed a lot to send Eve to school and she managed to not only get educated, but obtain a prestigious Master’s degree in the US. As a student, Eve volunteered in the slums of Dhaka, and through this experience she came to realise that she didn’t want to work only for herself, but for the most vulnerable people of Bangladesh. Learn more.