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Picking up broken pieces

Dina Mussa, 22, from Traditional Authority Kalembo in Balaka  District got pregnant at 15 when she had her first sexual encounter.

 Like many girls that age, Mussa found herself in that predicament because she had little knowledge about sex, contraceptives and other issues related to sexual reproductive health and rights.

She says: “I went to watch football at a nearby ground with my friends. Then this boy who was about my age asked me out. We had unprotected sex and months later, I discovered that I was pregnant.”

“He accepted responsibility, but my parents insisted that I was still young and should go back to school. We ended the relationship and I continued with my education while my mother was taking care of my child. I completed my secondary education and now I am an independent businessperson.”

Dina and fellow youth brainstorm on sexual health rights

Mussa sells fish, vegetables and chips.

Her story mirrors that of many girls in Malawi where teenage pregnancies and child marriage are rampant, particularly in the Southern Region districts of Mangochi, Machinga, Zomba, Mulanje, Thyolo and Balaka due to cultural norms that promote early sex and glorify marriage as an achievement for women.

 The December 2021 Malawi Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by the National Statistical Office estimates that 28.9 percent of girls bear children before their 18th birthday.

 According to United Nations Population Fund, 500 000 babies are born in Malawi annually and a quarter of them from teenage mothers.

Keeping girls in school is one of the best ways to end child marriage and early childbearing.

This is the reason Oxfam in Malawi in collaboration with Centre for Alternatives for Victimised Women and Children and Family Planning Association of Malawi launched a four-year project in Balaka aimed at promoting sexual health rights among the youth aged between 10 and 24 to enable them finish their education and get empowered economically.

Statistics from Balaka District Social Welfare Office shows that between March and August 2020, when the project called Her Future Her Choice had just rolled out, the district recorded 181 child marriages and 161 teen pregnancies.

Mussa, a member of Tigwirizane Youth Club that is implementing the project in her area, is now a role model for other girls in her village promoting education and economic empowerment among young women and girls.

 She is also among the ambassadors against child marriages and is working with authorities such as chiefs and the police to have parents who force or allow their children into marriage before the age of 18 get punished.

 Besides the aforementioned, Mussa is promoting the use of contraceptives among the youth through demystifying myths around contraceptives.

She says: “I am a living example. I do tell them my story of how I got pregnant after sleeping with a man once. I tell them how I picked up my pieces, went back to school and now I am independent.

“I now earn about K4 000 a day from my various businesses.”

 Group village head Shuga attests to the great work that youths such as Mussa are doing, calling the project a success.

He says:  “As chiefs, we are actively participating in activities aimed at implementing this project. We formed by-laws and parents who allow their children to get married before the age of 18 are charged 10 chickens.”

Shuga brushes assertions that encouraging the youth to use condoms and other contraceptives pushes them to engage in premarital sex.

 “Allowing our girls to use contraceptive will help them attain their goals while controlling overpopulation. We might think that our children are too young for such things, but they are doing things out there and it is better to protect them,” says the chief.

Area Development Committee chairperson Davie Gomani from group village head Mpamba, who is also an angaliba (traditional counsellor), says the project opened their eyes and they are in the forefront to end harmful cultural practices.

He says: “Previously, when children were at an initiation camp, we used to teach them sex and encourage them to practice once they get out of the camp to cleanse themselves. This has put a lot of children in problems, including early marriages and teenage pregnancies.”

Mpamba says his committee has managed to return to school six dropouts this year, who dropped out.

Family Planning Association of Malawi project officer, Esther Moyo, was delighted with the project’s achievements.

“We are happy that the project has helped to create high demand for sexual reproductive health rights among the youth. We are working with other stakeholders to ensure continuous flow of commodities such as contraceptives and other medication to reduce cases of stock-outs,” she said.

Among others, the project, which is being funded by the Global Affairs-Canada, has helped to send back to school teen mothers and empowered them financially by helping them to start small-scale businesses and establish village savings and loans groups of which Mussa is a member.

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