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Jen lives just outside of Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Primary school is free in Malawi (although few families can afford books and school supplies), but public high schools charge tuition. Jen’s family didn’t have the money to send her to high school, so she was “just at home, helping her family, but with really nowhere else to go.” Less than 25 percent of girls finish primary school, and nearly half of all girls are married by 18.

But in 2001, when Jen was 17, she heard about a United Nations Foundation-supported program working with out-of-school girls to teach income-generating skills. Jen joined the program and participated in it for three years, learning to sew, cut, and drape cloth. Now, at 26, Jen is a fashion designer with three tailors working for her to help keep up with all the orders!

Because of the skills she learned and the business she built, Jen was able to choose her own path, including deciding whom to marry and when. She is happy, healthy, and, due to her success, able to support her mother.

Jen didn’t get to finish school, but she mentors younger girls in her community to ensure they know their options. She said she appreciates the work of the UN and its partners in Malawi that allowed her to learn a money-making skill and leverage her smarts to turn that into a successful business!