NGO intensifies fight against child marriages

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outh Wave has intensified the fight against child marriages in Machinga District.

Speaking in an interview on Monday at Nambaiko Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Traditional Authority (T/A) Mizinga during a debate on child marriages, the organisation’s Power to Youth (PtY) project coordinator Westone Mfunya said they were registering positive strides in the fight against child marriages.

He said they organised the debate to give learners an opportunity to speak on issues that fuel child marriages and unplanned pregnancies.

“The project has empowered the youth to confront social ills that fuel child marriages and unplanned pregnancies,” said Mfunya.

He also said they engaged traditional leaders to abolish harmful cultural practices that fuel child marriages.

T/A Mizinga agreed with Mfunya’s sentiments that the project addressed harmful cultural practices that fuelled child marriages and gender-based violence.

“My area used to register child marriages, but now we are seeing the cases dropping,” he said.

The chief pledged to engage other traditional leaders to formulate by-laws to end child marriages.

Edina James, a teacher and mentor at Nambaiko CDSS, said the project has motivated girls to remain in school.

“Many girls were dropping out of school due to early marriages and teen pregnancies, but now things have changed. We owe this to the project,” she said.

James urged her fellow girls to remain in school to achieve their academic goals.

Youth Wave is implementing PtY project in Machinga with five other partners, namely Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation, Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education, Amref Health Africa, Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre and the Malawi Sexual Reproductive Health Alliance.

The project is being funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) through Sonke Gender Justice.