{"id":8658,"date":"2026-02-12T11:09:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/?post_type=essay&p=8658"},"modified":"2026-02-12T11:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T16:11:10","slug":"from-awareness-to-action","status":"publish","type":"essay","link":"https:\/\/www.pathfinder.org\/impact-stories\/from-awareness-to-action\/","title":{"rendered":"From Awareness to Action: A Teacher\u2019s Fight to Keep Girls in School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lire cette histoire en fran\u00e7ais >><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kourfey, Niger, a problem was weighing heavily on Moussa Tahirou. As a teacher, he noticed that many of the young girls enrolled in primary school would suddenly disappear from the education system. The reason was almost always the same: early marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI realized that girls’ education was seriously threatened in my community, and that this was jeopardizing not only their future, but also that of the entire community,\u201d <\/em>said Moussa.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the department of Filingu\u00e9, where Kourfey is located, child marriage has not yet been eradicated. According to Mohamed Jimraou Sani, Departmental Director of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection in Filingu\u00e9: \u201cEarly marriage does exist here in Kourfey, but the majority of cases are not reported. We are only informed when serious problems arise: health complications, school dropouts, or rejection of the marriage by the girl herself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One former student had a particularly profound impact on Moussa: Aminata, a bright girl with dreams of one day working in health care. At 14, she was taken out of school and forcibly married to a 55-year-old man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly afterwards, Aminata became pregnant. When she suffered a serious complication, she was not taken to a health center. As a result, she lost her baby and developed an obstetric fistula, a condition that will have lifelong consequences for her health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moussa could not stay silent any longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, he mobilized young people around him and formed the Association of Young People for Sustainable Development in Kourfey (AJEDDUK) to drive community action in favor of health, education, and sustainable development. In 2024, through Moussa\u2019s commitment, AJEDDUK was selected to join Pathfinder\u2019s J-Matassa project<\/a>. The project seeks to reduce early marriage, unwanted pregnancies, and maternal mortality; provide opportunities for personal and professional development; and strengthen women and young people’s financial autonomy so they can choose their own paths forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt was a great opportunity for me to change things, transform mindsets, and give hope back to hundreds of young girls<\/em>,\u201d said Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J-Matassa, led by Pathfinder in consortium with Marie Stopes International and the Association of Young Girls for Reproductive Health, organized quarterly awareness-raising caravans and community dialogues. Between January and September 2025, these activities reached 51,718 people in 340 villages across seven health districts, building community awareness about issues related to reproductive health and the overall wellbeing of local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through J-Matassa, Moussa received training in advocacy, project management, gender-based violence response, organizational capacity strengthening, and technical support. “The support of the J-Matassa project helped me be better structure my activities, document them, and above all, achieve concrete objectives in the field<\/em>,\u201d said Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYoung men are also at the heart of the strategy,\u201d <\/em>he added. “Young men are often the ones to marry underage girls. When they are informed [about the issue], they, themselves, can become change agents and influence their families<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, in the Filingu\u00e9 region, Moussa has many more allies in the fight against early marriage. Through relationships built through J-Matassa, he has support from religious and traditional leaders as well as technical divisions of local government. Despite initial resistance linked to tradition and cultural norms, the community dialogue approach is bearing fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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According to Moussa: “The changes are palpable: parents are publicly testifying that they have abandoned early marriage, some girls have been able to stay in school thanks to awareness-raising efforts, the community is expressing collective pride in actions taken, and even older people are asking to join or support the association.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, with support from J-Matassa<\/em> and in alignment with a recent presidential decree, the departmental directorate and local organizations have set up Village Child Protection Committees (CVPE). J-Matassa <\/em>established a total of 85 CVPEs, with 12 members per committee. These CVPE play a critical role: early identification of child marriage, ongoing local awareness-raising, family mediation, and acting as a link between communities and government services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese committees are made up of influential people: village chiefs, religious leaders, health workers, school principals, young people, and women’s groups. These are actors to whom the communities will listen<\/em>,\u201d said Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite substantial progress, obstacles persist: insufficient legal enforcement, lack of birth certificates for many girls, and the falsification of documents to circumvent the legal age. Still, with commitment from community leaders like Moussa and young people across Filingu\u00e9, we know that change is possible\u2014and it is happening now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen the community thanks me, I feel useful. I know that my commitment has had a real impact,\u201d <\/em>said Moussa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

De la prise de conscience \u00e0 l’action : le combat d’un enseignant pour maintenir les filles \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 Kourfey, au Niger, un probl\u00e8me pesait lourdement sur Moussa Tahirou. En tant qu’enseignant, il avait remarqu\u00e9 que de nombreuses jeunes filles inscrites \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole primaire disparaissaient soudainement du syst\u00e8me \u00e9ducatif. La raison \u00e9tait presque toujours la m\u00eame : le mariage pr\u00e9coce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00ab J’ai r\u00e9alis\u00e9 que l’\u00e9ducation des filles \u00e9tait s\u00e9rieusement menac\u00e9e dans ma communaut\u00e9 et que cela compromettait non seulement leur avenir, mais aussi celui de toute la communaut\u00e9 \u00bb,<\/em> explique Moussa.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Dans le d\u00e9partement de Filingu\u00e9, o\u00f9 se trouve Kourfey, le mariage des enfants n’a pas encore \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9radiqu\u00e9. Selon Mohamed Jimraou Sani, directeur d\u00e9partemental de l’autonomisation des femmes et de la protection de l’enfance \u00e0 Filingu\u00e9 : \u00ab Les mariages pr\u00e9coces existent ici \u00e0 Kourfey, mais la majorit\u00e9 des cas ne sont pas signal\u00e9s. Nous ne sommes inform\u00e9s que lorsque des probl\u00e8mes graves surviennent : complications de sant\u00e9, abandon scolaire ou rejet du mariage par la jeune fille elle-m\u00eame. \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Une ancienne \u00e9l\u00e8ve  a profond\u00e9ment marqu\u00e9 Moussa : Aminata, une jeune fille brillante qui r\u00eavait de travailler un jour dans le domaine de la sant\u00e9. \u00c0 14 ans, elle a \u00e9t\u00e9 retir\u00e9e de l’\u00e9cole et mari\u00e9e de force \u00e0 un homme de 55 ans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peu apr\u00e8s, Aminata est tomb\u00e9e enceinte. Lorsqu’elle a souffert d’une complication grave, elle n’a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 emmen\u00e9e dans un centre de sant\u00e9. Elle a donc perdu son b\u00e9b\u00e9 et d\u00e9velopp\u00e9 une fistule obst\u00e9tricale, une affection qui aura des r\u00e9percussions sur sa sant\u00e9 pour le reste de sa vie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moussa ne pouvait plus rester silencieux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En 2021, il a mobilis\u00e9 les jeunes de son entourage et a cr\u00e9\u00e9 l’Association des jeunes pour le d\u00e9veloppement durable \u00e0 Kourfey (AJEDDUK) afin de mener des actions communautaires en faveur de la sant\u00e9, de l’\u00e9ducation et du d\u00e9veloppement durable. En 2024, gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l’engagement de Moussa, l’AJEDDUK a \u00e9t\u00e9 s\u00e9lectionn\u00e9e pour participer au projet J-Matassa de Pathfinder<\/a>. Ce projet vise \u00e0 r\u00e9duire les mariages pr\u00e9coces, les grossesses non d\u00e9sir\u00e9es et la mortalit\u00e9 maternelle, \u00e0 offrir des opportunit\u00e9s de d\u00e9veloppement personnel et professionnel, et \u00e0 renforcer l’autonomie financi\u00e8re des femmes et des jeunes afin de leur permettre de choisir leur propre voie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00ab C’\u00e9tait une formidable opportunit\u00e9 pour moi de changer les choses, de transformer les mentalit\u00e9s et de redonner espoir \u00e0 des centaines de jeunes filles <\/em>\u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 J-Matassa, men\u00e9 par Pathfinder International en consortium avec Marie Stopes International au Niger et l’Association des jeunes filles pour la sant\u00e9 reproductive, a organis\u00e9 des caravanes de sensibilisation et des dialogues communautaires trimestriels. Entre janvier et septembre 2025, ces activit\u00e9s ont touch\u00e9 51 718 personnes dans 340 villages r\u00e9partis dans sept districts sanitaires, renfor\u00e7ant ainsi la sensibilisation aux sujets li\u00e9s \u00e0 la sant\u00e9 reproductive et au bien-\u00eatre des communaut\u00e9s locales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 J-Matassa, Moussa a re\u00e7u une formation en mati\u00e8re de plaidoyer, de gestion de projet, la prise en charge des cas de violence bas\u00e9es sur le genre , de renforcement des capacit\u00e9s organisationnelles et de soutien technique. \u00ab Le soutien du projet J-Matassa m’a permis de mieux structurer mes actions, de les documenter et, surtout, d’atteindre des objectifs concrets sur le terrain \u00bb, <\/em>a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab Les jeunes sont \u00e9galement au c\u0153ur de la strat\u00e9gie \u00bb, <\/em>a-t-il ajout\u00e9. \u00ab Ce sont souvent les jeunes qui \u00e9pousent des filles mineures. Lorsqu’ils sont inform\u00e9s [du probl\u00e8me], ils peuvent eux-m\u00eames devenir des acteurs de la pr\u00e9vention et influencer leurs familles. \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aujourd\u2019hui, dans la r\u00e9gion de Filingu\u00e9, Moussa b\u00e9n\u00e9ficie de nombreux alli\u00e9s dans la lutte contre les mariages pr\u00e9coces. Gr\u00e2ce aux relations qu’il a nou\u00e9es avec J-Matassa, il b\u00e9n\u00e9ficie du soutien des chefs religieux et traditionnels ainsi que des services techniques gouvernementaux. Malgr\u00e9 une r\u00e9sistance initiale li\u00e9e aux traditions et aux normes culturelles, l’approche fond\u00e9e sur le dialogue communautaire porte ses fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Selon Moussa : \u00ab Les changements sont palpables : les parents t\u00e9moignent publiquement qu’ils ont abandonn\u00e9 le mariage pr\u00e9coce, certaines filles ont pu rester \u00e0 l’\u00e9cole gr\u00e2ce aux efforts de sensibilisation, la communaut\u00e9 exprime sa fiert\u00e9 collective face aux mesures prises, et m\u00eame les personnes \u00e2g\u00e9es demandent \u00e0 rejoindre ou \u00e0 soutenir l’association. \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

De plus, avec le soutien de J-Matassa<\/em> et conform\u00e9ment \u00e0 un r\u00e9cent d\u00e9cret pr\u00e9sidentiel, la direction d\u00e9partementale et les organisations locales ont mis en place des comit\u00e9s villageois de protection de l’enfance (CVPE). J-Matassa <\/em>a cr\u00e9e un total de 85 CVPE, compos\u00e9s chacun de 12 membres. Ces CVPE jouent un r\u00f4le essentiel : identification pr\u00e9coce des cas de mariage d’enfants, sensibilisation locale continue, m\u00e9diation familiale et liaison entre les communaut\u00e9s et les services gouvernementaux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00ab Ces comit\u00e9s sont compos\u00e9s de personnes influentes : chefs de village, chefs religieux, agents de sant\u00e9, directeurs d’\u00e9cole, jeunes et groupes de femmes. Ce sont des acteurs auxquels les communaut\u00e9s pr\u00eatent attention \u00bb, <\/em>explique Moussa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malgr\u00e9 des progr\u00e8s substantiels, plusieurs obstacles persistent : l’application insuffisante du cadre juridique, l’absence d’actes de naissance pour de nombreuses filles et la falsification de documents pour contourner l’\u00e2ge l\u00e9gal. N\u00e9anmoins, gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l’engagement de leaders communautaires comme Moussa et des jeunes de Filingu\u00e9, nous savons que le changement est possible et qu’il est en train de se produire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00ab Lorsque la communaut\u00e9 me remercie, je me sens utile. Je sais que mon engagement a eu un impact r\u00e9el. \u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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