18+ regional programme against ECM SUMMARY 
Of the 70 million girls affected by child marriages in the world, seven million child brides live in the Region of East and Southern Africa. The project takes a multi-level, holistic approach to identify and address the root causes or ‘drivers’ of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM) as well as relevant agents of change at all levels. Currently five Plan country offices (Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Tanzania) participate in this initiative and link their country programmes on ECM toward this regional linking & learning initiative. This programme is a 4 year program, started in 2017. Deep-rooted norms and expectations of girls and boys makes families and communities feel the need to control the sexuality of girls by marrying them off. Gender inequality is putting girls in a subordinate position with regard to boys and men in (sexual) relationships and the value given to a girl’s life and future. Girls and boys lack a voice, as well as the support to break through these norms and practices. The means and structures available for adolescents to organise themselves and claim their rights are limited, they have little access to adolescent-friendly and good quality SRHR information and services and lack support from policies and legislation addressing child marriage. Legislation to outlaw EM is either inadequate or is being poorly implemented. The enabling legal and policy environment  to protect girls is in all the East and Southern African countries at varying degrees of addressing the problem van ECM. The engagement of traditional leaders in SADC council conference during the first phase of 18+ resulted into a regional strategy and Model Law. Together with girls, traditional leaders have initiated a movement to tackle child marriage in the sub-region. Social and gender norms perpetuating ECM are deeply embedded in communities and this situation can only be changed if community leaders and most of the people support the change. Key persons in the communities, including boys and men, will be turned into allies in the process of changing these norms, thereby helping to address the problem of ECM. Girls will be supported to advocate for their rights and start intergenerational dialogues. This will result in change of negative gender norms and people’s behaviour, strengthened networks and structures for social mobilisation and embedded in communities. By involving the government and influential persons an enabling legal and policy environment to protect girls from child marriages will be achieved. The second phase of 18+ programme in Southern Africa (2016-2019) will build on the successes and best practices of the initial action with a focus on two strategic objectives 1.) Transforming, through social movement-building, the gender norms and practices that drive child marriage and teenage pregnancy, and 2.) Facilitating an enabling legal and policy environment to protect girls from child marriage. Given the effectiveness of its approach, 18+ will continue to work at three different levels of change: sub-regional, national, and community level. In collaboration with Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and other regional CSOs, the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children already in Marriage was developed. The model law will provide guidance to parliamentarians, policymakers, and other stakeholders in SADC countries as they develop national laws to curb the practice and protect children already in marriage. Further efforts are needed for influencing so that governments improve and implement laws, policies and budgets for adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as for communities to take action to eliminate harmful gender norms and practices. Final beneficiaries are girls between the age of 12 – 24 years, married and unmarried in the East and Southern African countries. Activity 1.1:  Develop guidance, strengthening coordination, coherence, and support  a sub-regional social movement of girls and young women on ending child marriage
Activity 1.2: Coordination and rolling out of the Champions of Change approach to transform harmful social norms and advance gender equality and girls’ rights
Activity 1.3: Building awareness, strengthening capacities and empowerment of girls and young women activists through their participation in regional conferences to prevent unwanted pregnancies and early marriages as well as promote their full and effective political participation  
Activity 1.4: Building capacity of the members of the movement on gender equality and girls’ rights, including Youth Advisory Panels (YAP) members, on documentation of change, critical thinking, and social media for influencing.  

Activity 2.1: Facilitation of in-country workshops for domesticating the model law on ending child marriage and challenging stereotypes amongst government officials, technocrats, and other key actors in collaboration with SADC–PF
Activity 2.2: Continuation of strategic engagement and influencing with SADC traditional leaders to implement the model law and accelerate social norm change to tackle child marriage in communities
Activity 2.3: Work with SADC journalists for continued coverage of child marriage in the media to highlight the urgency to tackle child marriage and promoting the value of girls in society amongst the general public 18+ will be sustainable by working to build girls’ and boys’ capabilities and prompt their inclusion and active role in the realisation of their rights. Furthermore, enabling structures, relations, and agency will be created in order to positively affect girls’ lives and tackle child marriage effectively. In this regard, the project will  provide girls with spaces to define their own goals in cooperation with their families and communities and build  a social movement for changing power relations, so girls in the sub-region can  raise their voice and claim their rights in order to change the negative harmful gender norms.