Peer-reviewed article
Thriving despite adversities: resilience strategies of school-going mothers in Hurungwe, Zimbabwe.
Thondhlana G, Ndwandwe ND ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how school-going mothers in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe manage to continue their education while raising children despite facing academic, social, and economic challenges. Fifteen young mothers from secondary schools were interviewed about the strategies they use to stay in school. The research identified four main sources of resilience: personal motivation, supportive school environments, help from non-governmental organisations, and ways they deal with social stigma. The study shows that psychosocial support and community assistance are important for keeping adolescent mothers in education.
Key points
- School-going mothers adopt four key resilience strategies: personal motivation, supportive school environments, NGO assistance, and stigma management
- Psychosocial, institutional, and community support collectively strengthen adolescent mothers' capacity to persevere academically
- Study was limited to 15 participants from one district in Zimbabwe
- Findings cannot be generalised nationally due to small sample size and limited geographic scope
- Future research should use mixed-methods designs and broader geographic coverage
Limitations
The study involved only 15 participants from one district in Zimbabwe, so the findings cannot be generalised to other regions of Zimbabwe or other countries. The qualitative case study design captures experiences but does not measure the effectiveness or scale of any interventions.
Abstract
Background School-going mothers in Zimbabwe continue to face academic, social, and economic barriers that threaten their educational continuity. However, many demonstrate remarkable resilience in balancing motherhood and schooling. This study explored the resilience strategies adopted by school-going mothers in the Hurungwe District to sustain their education despite adversities. Methods This study was anchored on Norman Garmezy and Emmy Werner's resilience theory and employed a qualitative case study design. Fifteen school-going mothers from three secondary schools in the Hurungwe District were purposively selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analysed thematically to identify emerging resilience strategies. Results The findings revealed four key resilience strategies: personal motivation, supportive school environments, assistance from non-governmental organisations, and strategies to overcome stigmatisation. These factors collectively strengthened participants' capacity to persevere academically while managing parenting responsibilities. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of psychosocial, institutional, and community support in promoting the educational resilience of school-going mothers. However, its findings are limited to a small sample from one district and cannot be generalised nationally. Future studies should consider mixed-methods designs and broader geographic coverage to deepen the understanding of resilience among adolescent mothers.