Mirriam: From early marriage victim to girl’s rights advocate

Growing up in a community where no one championed girls’ education, it is a miracle Mirriam Chilemba has risen from such a society to become Young Women Rise chief executive officer.

The young Mirriam faced overwhelming societal pressure. Her peers were being married-off while young, forcing her to conform.

At just 17 years old, she entered into an early marriage, a move that negatively impacted her education.

Mirriam dropped out of school while in Form One.

But lady luck smiled on her and she found herself on the path to success, thanks to interventions that helped her return to school.

“I continued my education at Providence Secondary School and later proceeded to Mzuzu University where I earned a bachelor of arts in education, majoring in French and English,” she says with pride.

Her dream was to become a nurse or a famer, but opportunities opened doors to teaching.

Mirriam wanted to be a farmer to follow in the footsteps of her father who once worked as farm manager at National Seed Company.

“After years of teaching, l thought about taking a different career path, so l resigned to establish Young Women Rise,” she says.

She adds that her own struggles as a youth prompted her to establish the organisation to become the voice for girls.

Says Mirriam: “Girls’ education was never regarded as important compared to boys’ education. So the values that time portrayed girls as wired to be depend on a man.

“But now growing up, I realise that a woman has to be independent and girls should be encouraged from a tender age,” says Mirriam.

She says she wants to instill confidence in the girls and help them know their worth.

“During my early marriage, I suffered physical violence. When I returned to school, I was mocked by those who knew my story. I was called names and ridiculed,” she adds.

She attributes her success to God’s grace as the journey was not easy.

The transition from secondary to tertiary education was tough, with immense forces trying to pull her down. Every step came with its own setbacks.

Mirriam says: “The only way I can give back to the community is by championing girls’ education, to be a source of hope and a tool to ensure women and girls, especially adolescent girls and young women, are in safe hands.

“At the very least, they should know their rights and where to seek help in different circumstances.”

Mirriam admires former principal secretary for nutrition, HIV and Aids in the Ministry of Health Dr. Mary Shaba and her achievements that are backed by academic success.

“I had the privilege of meeting Shawa at the Global Fund Proposal Writing Team Meeting when l was selected to be one of the proposal writers. I was delighted and I even told her that I worked hard to be like her someday,” says Mirriam.

The young women’s advocate says her organisation’s mission is to alleviate human suffering, especially women and girls by promoting social, economic and educational empowerment.

“The whole essence is see to young women become independent financially and advancing with their education,” she says.

Mirriam adds that her organisation also focuses on menstrual health and sexual reproductive health rights (SRH)  bringing her closer to her dream of becoming a nurse.

Despite financial challenges from the onset, Young Women Rise is on the rise.

The bold step Mirriam took in quitting her job and investing in uplifting the lives of girls and young women is bearing fruit.

She says with support from a Japanese funder who provided a K400 000 grant, the organisation took off.

“It was a great privilege to receive such a grant. After l reported to him how l used the money, the financier gave me another K2.1 million grant. He also introduced me to like-minded people that support my cause,” says Mirriam.

This opened doors for more opportunities as World Connect and Her Voice Fund moved in to help the organisation with projects that amplify its agenda.

One of the projects is running up to 2026.

“We’ve just secured partnership with Single Family Foundation which will run up to 2033. We are grateful to see our organisation get all these opportunities after starting on a low note,” she adds.

Mirriam says Young Women Rise has empowered 165 women with various skills via a number of approaches.

Some of the women have been organised into village savings and loans groups, others have been trained in fashion and designing, while others have been given loans to venture into businesses.

“Women’s lives their lives have been uplifted. I am happy to see an empowered woman. Some have even constructed houses through their small business,” says Mirriam.

One of the projects is being implemented in Neno District with funding from Amplify Change.

It provides SRH services to 26 000 people.

The project also uses a radio programme to disseminate SRH messages.

Says Mirriam: “We also have a toll-free line for SRH messages, reporting gender-based violence, mental health issues or if people just want to talk to someone.

“Initially we thought the project will only serve Neno, but we receive calls from all corners of Malawi. So it’s also a great milestone to help people beyond our borders,” she says.

The 39-year-old feels proud to contribute to economic empowerment of Cyclone Freddy survivors in Chiradzulu District.

“The time we started the project was when the disaster had just occurred and everyone was still traumatised. Most organisations just provided handouts such as food. There was no organisation that came with an initiative to restore people’s independence,” she says.

Mirriam says Young Women Rise embarked on psychological counseling to relieve the people’s trauma and trained them in business management.

She says leadership is not only about being in front of people telling them what to do, but also about listening, learning and patience.

Mirriam says each day is an opportunity to learn through interactions with communities and colleagues.

Her message to women is clear: “Always remember your worth. Keep your shoulders and chins up and face the world with confidence regardless of the challenges you encounter.”