Community sends children back to school in Salima

Community structures in Traditional Authority Khombedza in Salima are sending children back to school to address dropout rate.

The structures, including child protection committees, mother groups and traditional leaders encourage girls who dropped out to return to school. 

In an interview on Sunday, a child protection worker Anthony Kaipa said they encouraged children to return to school in the 2023/24 academic year.

He said: “We learned from World Vision Malawi how to trace children who drop out of school and encourage them to go back.

“Through our efforts, 17 boys and 15 girls returned to school in 2023/24 academic year,” said Kaipa.

Kaipa also said the child protection committee terminated four child marriages.”

Group village head Khombedza said traditional leaders have also joined the fight against child abuse.

One of the girls who returned to school, Paulina Banda, said she left school in 2023 because of peer pressure.

“I am now back in school and I will work hard this time around to become a soldier,” she said.

Another girl, Edna, 15, who wants to become a doctor, said she dropped out of school in 2022 due to poverty.

“My parents were not able to pay school fund for me. So I quit school,” she said.

The two girls thank the child protection committee in the area that encouraged them to return to school.