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Child marriages fight earns Kachindamoto award

 

Senior Chief Kachindamoto of Dedza was on Thursday awarded the 2016 Hrant Dink International Award for her efforts in fighting against child marriages. The ceremony was held in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to a story published on Public Radio of Armenia website on Friday, Kachindamoto was recognised for striving to overcome the economic difficulties that lead to early marriages in Malawi by creating a fund to pay tuition for daughters of poor families.

She was also recognised for encouraging efforts to strengthen children’s bonds to school life, and for her tireless efforts that have changed the lives of so many young people.

Recognised: Kachindamoto
Recognised: Kachindamoto

The article quotes Kachindamoto as having said: ‘‘There is no doubt that I need to push against more of the old ways of thinking to achieve my ultimate goal of removing child marriage from Malawi, and giving all girls and boys the opportunity to complete their education…But we still have a lot of work to do, for which I am prepared.”

This is not the first time for Kachindamoto to be honoured as barely two weeks ago, the United States of America (USA), in recognition of her initiative to empower girls, awarded a grant of $9 500 (about K7.1 million) to a community organisation to be used for the construction of a girls hostel at Mtakataka Secondary School in Dedza.

She has also made international media headlines for making child marriages her business and for vowing to end the practice.

The Hrant Dink International Award is in honour of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of Agos murdered by Turkish nationalists on January 19, 2007.  n

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