Iceland supports girls’ education in Mangochi

Iceland has expressed its commitment to supporting vulnerable girls’ education in Mangochi District by engaging in businesses and other economic ventures.

The Iceland Embassy head of mission Inga Dora Petursdottir said this after meeting some girls from Senior Chief Bwananyambi in the district who received funds from the embassy to run businesses.

The embassy is supporting the girls through a local non-governmental organisation Go Fund a Girl Child.

Speaking on Wednesday when Petursdottir led a team of journalists from Iceland to appreciate the initiative’s impact in the district,  Petursdottir said they want to empower girls to remain in school.

“We want to fight child marriages, school dropout, gender-based violence and other ills that can foil their education,” she said.

Petursdottir also said they will support the council to provide basic quality services to people in the district.

Senior Chief Bwananyambi commended the Embassy of Iceland for supporting the girls.

“The support has motivated girls to remain in school,” she said.

Go Fund a Girl Child executive director Prudence Chavula thanked the Embassy of Iceland for entrusting her organisation to empower the adolescent girls and young women.

“Our aim is to create a conducive environment for rural and peri-urban adolescent girls and young women such that they are empowered to become powerful agents of change,” she stated.

The project’s beneficiary Esther Msusa, who is in Form Two at Mkumba Community Day Secondary School, said the money she got from the embassy helped her start a goat meat business at Mkumba Market.

“I engaged my brother who helps me since I go to school. All is going on well and we are getting a good income for our family, including school fees,” she said.