Our Baraka Safe Houses transform the lives of girls in Zambia; they are a safe haven to protect vulnerable teenage girls from the impact of poverty, such as early marriage, teenage pregnancies, and gender-based violence. Many of these girls come from rural areas where there are no nearby secondary schools and strong cultural pressures to marry young, limiting their opportunities for education and independence. Most of these girls would not be in education without the support of Baraka.

By offering safe accommodation close to schools, consistent access to food, and mentorship from caregivers, these homes allow girls to focus on their studies and build life skills without fear or insecurity.

More broadly, safe houses play a transformative role by giving girls the chance to complete their education, which not only improves their individual futures but also contributes to breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty and advancing gender equality in their communities.

We currently operate two Safe Houses:

Maamba Safe House

The Maamba Safe House is based in the mining town of Maamba, in the Southern Province. We inherited the house in 2016, in an emergency situation when the girls were abandoned by their previous supporters. Since then, we have built a new house for the girls and developed various educational, safeguarding and nurturing programmes to ensure the girls have the greatest opportunities possible to maximise their academic potential in a safe and supportive environment. Academic results are improving year on year to the point where a number of girls from the house are currently studying at university. The house is home to 30 girls, a matron and a live-in teacher.

Kapiri Safe House

We received funding to build a brand new Safe House at our Learning Centre in 2024, allowing us to replicate the success of the Maamba Safe House on our Learning Centre complex in Kapiri. We then added an annex in 2025 and we now have 48 girls in residence. The house is situated next door to the Baraka Secondary School for Girls, where all the girls will attend in future. The Safe House complex includes a permaculture garden with a chicken coop, which the girls oversee. The girls also have access to unparalleled educational and sporting facilities at the adjacent Learning Centre. The house also has a live-in matron and teacher.