Nhanga Revival: Ancient Tradition Helps Zimbabwean Girls Fight Child Marriage

Zimbabwean girls are reviving Nhanga, a traditional female gathering, as a peer-led movement to combat child marriage and promote education (image source)

In rural Zimbabwe, communities are reviving Nhanga, a centuries-old, female-only tradition once used to prepare girls for marriage — now transformed into a grassroots movement helping young women resist child marriage, promote education, and discuss sexual and reproductive health.

The revived Nhanga model has taken root in districts such as Shamva, where girls gather in tents to talk openly about schooling, gender bias, teen pregnancy, and personal rights. What was once a space for preparing brides is now a peer-led platform for empowerment. The meetings replicate the warmth and intimacy of the traditional “girls’ bedroom,” offering mentorship, life-skills training, and group activities including sports and advocacy workshops.

Participants describe Nhanga as a safe, judgment-free space where girls remove their shoes, sit together, and share stories that would otherwise be silenced at home or school. They discuss everything from sexuality to entrepreneurship, leaving each session with renewed confidence and concrete plans to stay in school and avoid early marriage. Community organisers say the peer approach encourages solidarity among girls facing family or cultural pressure to marry young. Visible initiatives such as football tournaments and public dialogues have further helped shift community perceptions about girlhood and education.

Gender advocates and child-protection specialists have praised Nhanga’s revival as a culturally grounded intervention, though they stress it must be coupled with stronger structural safeguards. They call for accessible schooling, active enforcement of child-protection laws, and economic support for at-risk families to sustain progress. Experts add that systematic monitoring is needed to track the programme’s impact on child-marriage rates and school retention.

Early findings indicate that Nhanga gatherings have boosted girls’ self-esteem and inspired parents to prioritise education over marriage. Yet, organisers face hurdles including limited funding, inconsistent facilitation, and conservative backlash in some regions. Advocates urge partnerships between traditional leaders, NGOs, and government agencies to scale the model and embed it in national child-protection strategies.

If sustained, the Nhanga revival could stand as a powerful fusion of culture and modern advocacy — turning a historic rite of passage into a frontline defence against child marriage in Zimbabwe.