In the vast, dusty sprawl of Dadaab refugee camp, teenage girls are confronting a crisis that threatens to lock them out of education and deepen cycles of poverty: early pregnancy.

Community leaders and aid agencies warn that the rate of teenage pregnancies in the camp is rising, forcing many girls to abandon school.

With Dadaab hosting more than 300,000 refugees, mostly from Somalia, the consequences are being felt across families already struggling with displacement, poverty, and insecurity.

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"Once a girl gets pregnant, her chances of returning to school are almost zero," said Halima Noor, a women's rights advocate in Dadaab. "She becomes a mother before finishing her childhood."

Girls cite lack of access to reproductive health services, poverty-driven child marriages, and sexual violence as key drivers of early pregnancies.

Many are pressured into early unions as families seek dowries to ease financial hardship.

Others fall prey to exploitation when fetching firewood or water outside the camp's safety.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has raised alarm, calling the situation a "silent emergency."

A 2024 report showed that nearly one in three school-aged girls in Dadaab had dropped out due to pregnancy or marriage.

Teachers say the impact is visible in classrooms.

"We lose some of our brightest students every term," said Ahmed Abdi, a secondary school teacher. "It is heartbreaking."

Aid groups are pushing for comprehensive sex education, stronger protection from gender-based violence, and community dialogue to challenge harmful norms.

But with donor funding for refugee programs shrinking, campaigners fear little will change without urgent action.

"The cost is not just to the girl," Noor warned. "It's to the entire community's future."