In the rural communities of traditional authorities (TAs) Njolomole and Ganya, a hidden epidemic is stealing the childhoods of adolescent girls.
Investigations reveal that girls as young as nine are falling prey to harmful drugs, driven by peer pressure, poverty and entrenched cultural neglect.
The situation has reached alarming proportions. According to Ntcheu District youth officer Chigonjetso Chilomo, statistics indicate that six out of 10 youths engage in alcohol and substance abuse.
Perhaps most shocking is the gender breakdown: out of every five girls in the district, two to three are consuming alcohol.
From sleeping on the streets to transactional sex, the consequences are devastating.
Yet, amid the crisis, local safe space clubs are stepping in to provide mentorship and a lifeline to those who have lost their way.
Among those whose lives have been upended is Tamale Bowa from Kasadzu Village under T/A Ganya.
Now 21, Tamale began using drugs at just 10. Her exposure to cannabis and alcohol left her vulnerable to sexual predators, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy at 15.
“Sometimes when I was high on chamba (cannabis) or alcohol, I would fall asleep by the roadside. Random men would take advantage of me. I only realised what had happened when I woke up. That is how I eventually became pregnant with a child whose father I don’t even know,” she recounts.
Tamale now raises her six-year-old daughter alone, her education cut short by addiction.
Her story mirrors that of Promise Maseko (not real name) who began exchanging sex for money at age 10 to fund her drug habit.
She recalls the false fearlessness that came with addiction to chamba and shisha.
“I used to sleep with random men because of the drugs. At the end, they gave me K500 or K1 000. When I was under their influence, I didn’t fear anyone because I simply didn’t care,” Promise confessed, noting she remains uncertain of her HIV status.
For others, the abuse leads to a total psychological breakdown.
Lucia Manuella, 17, from Daule Village in T/A Njolomole, nearly lost her life to a cannabis and alcohol addiction that began when she was 14.
Her addiction was so severe it triggered a mental health crisis.
“This affected me really badly. My head was not functioning properly,” she recalls.
At the height of her struggle, Lucia was abandoned by her overwhelmed parents.
She was left roaming the village, behaving erratically and surviving by collecting rotten food from dustbins.
It was not until March 2024 that her family took her to a hospital, where doctors warned she had to stop using drugs immediately for the sake of her sanity.
“I almost became mentally ill forever,” Lucia says. “My ambition was almost destroyed by peer pressure and bad choices of friends.”
Meanwhile, district officials and local leaders are grappling with the root causes, often pointing to a misinterpretation of tradition.
“The practice is indeed common,” confirms Chilomo, the district youth officer. “They claim it is their Ngoni culture to start drinking from a tender age. But this practice does not isolate girls from boys; both are deeply affected.”
Village head Ganya 1 agrees, clarifying that the tradition is being abused.
“Ngoni tradition only allows older people to take alcohol. But some children disobey these laws and end up drinking, which is not something we teach them,” he said.
The crisis is exacerbated in the Tsangano area due to porous borders where children access cheap alcohol.
District social welfare officer Rodwell Chunga notes that parental negligence is also to blame.
“The Ngoni culture is often cited, but parents and guardians are failing to provide necessary guidance,” he said.
Interventions are now in full swing.
Dedza Diocese Catholic Health Commission’s Chimwemwe Mtambo notes that,with support from Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, they have established 30 safe spaces.
“We have trained 30 mentors to discuss the dangers of drugs, mental health and gender-based violence,” Mtambo said.
The district youth office is also deploying front-line defenses.
“We are using child protection committees, community victim support units and community case workers to denounce alcohol and substance abuse,” Chilomo explained.
“We also conduct individual counselling for children who indulge in such malpractice.”
Meanwhile, the health sector is seeing the fallout first-hand.
Mphepo Zinayi Health Clinic’s Gift Peterson reports that 80 percent of sexually transmitted infections in the district are registered at their facility, with 30 percent linked directly to drug use.
Despite the formidable statistics, the interventions are saving lives.
Lucy Maxwell, who became a bar girl at 11, turned her life around after joining a safe space club and now works as a farmer to support her child.
Lucia Manuella, who once ate from dustbins and was on the brink of permanent psychosis, is also a testament to the effectiveness of the safe spaces.
Through the counselling provided by the safe space groups, she has returned to school.
“I want to become a doctor,” Lucia, now back in Standard 7, says with renewed determination. “I have learned a big lesson: using drugs can ruin someone’s life.”
