After Cecilia's father died, her stepfather reluctantly agreed to pay her school fees. In grade 9, after failing a subject, he told her that her education was a ‘waste of money’. Without his financial support, Cecilia could no longer afford to go to school. Soon after, she left school and became pregnant with her first child. 

When she broke the news of her pregnancy, her stepfather told her she could no longer live in the house. She moved in with her sister and, although her female relatives supported her with the baby, Cecilia had no means to return to school. 

“Every morning, I would wake up early to the sound of my baby crying. From my window, I could see my friends on their way to school, and all I wanted was to go with them. All my life I’d dreamed of being a nurse, but there I was – a mother aged 17 and no hope in sight. I often cried myself to sleep, hoping and praying that one day I would be able to go back to school.”

Luckily for Cecilia, she met a young woman who worked as a mentor for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) DREAMS program in her neighborhood of Mushili, Ndola. DREAMS, which stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored and Safe, is a global, public/private partnership managed by USAID that seeks to reduce new HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women, ages 10-24, who data has shown are infected at an annual rate of 15 times higher than young men.

At first, Cecilia wasn’t interested in joining DREAMS. She wondered how the program could really help her achieve her goal of returning to school; however, after some thought, she enrolled in a 13-week Safe Space group. Led by a trained Mentor, the group was designed to teach life skills and sexual/reproductive health. During the first group session, the young women were asked to share their expectations and aspirations, and it was where Cecilia expressed her hope to return to school.

“The day I was called and informed that my name was among those being sponsored to go back to school, I felt like I was dreaming. Even though I imagined myself going back to school, I never thought it would become a reality, and for that, I’m so grateful for the DREAMS program. I have been given a second chance at success.” 

Today, Cecilia is still in school at Twikatane Secondary, where she is finishing grade 9. Her school fees and uniform are paid through the DREAMS sponsorship, and mother helps take care of her baby so she can attend school.

“Just as the “D” in DREAMS stands for “determined”, I am once again determined to pursue my dreams,” she said proudly. 

Through the DREAMS center, Cecilia also has access to services including HIV testing and counseling, free condoms, family planning, and economic strengthening.  

Since 2015, PEPFAR has invested nearly $50 million to support DREAMS in Zambia. To date, the program has reached almost 500,000 vulnerable girls and young women and provided them with safe, confidential centers to access a package of services tailored to their individual needs. DREAMS Zambia works across five provinces, eight districts, and forty health facility catchment zones