80 Karonga married girls rescued, taken to school
The Center for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) through Karonga Gender Equality and Woman Empowerment (KAGEWE) has withdrawn 80 young girls from marriages and re-enrolled them to school in Karonga the northern district of the country.
The exercise has been done in two Traditional Authorities (TAs) only which include Mwirang’ombe and Wasambo in a period of 11 months.
Speaking during the project review meeting, the project coordinator Stain Katuli said this follows implementation and applications of various interventions to end child marriages.
“From January to November 2015, the organization has managed to terminate 80 teenage marriages in two traditional authorities only and as I am talking they are back to school,” said Katuli.
He said “these are young girls who were forced to go into marriages especially because of poverty and some harmful cultural practices and all of them were at secondary level.”
According to Katuli, some of the interventions used include “offering financial support such as fees, and school materials as well as involving the mother groups to encourage them.”
In his remarks, CHRR national coordinator of the project Mankhumbo Munthali worried with the number of girls who are now going back to their marriages due to lack of financial support.
“It is really painful that our effort of hooking girls from marriages back to school turns into helpless. This is because most of them are ending up going back into marriages as they are lacking financial support,” disclosed Munthali.
Munthali further said “as CHRR we have managed to financially support 30 girls out of 80 however, the ending of the project this month gives doubts to whether those we have been supporting will finish with their education.”
While commending the stakeholders’ commitment toward the support to the project, Munthali asked for the project extension in order to let the already hooked girls continue their education apart from appealing for the bursary.
Karonga Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (KAGEWE) is a Government project which is implemented by CHRR in Karonga district with financial support from European Union (EU).
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yet akulemphela kunthandiza atsikana omwe ali ma universities. Komanama kuti kuli loan and grants board. Muthu akuti alibe fees akumpatsa half ya fees. Akuti zakudya akuzionela okaha. Atsiyeni ana akatidwe kusiyana kuti akakhale mauhule ma universitiesmu. Boma muli mbuli zambili. Akuziwa kuti the cost of living is higher than fees koma akumpatsa muthu half ya fees yokha. Ndikulakwa kumawachotsa atsikanawo mabanja.
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Anakuuzani kuti iwowo sakumva kukoma?
This is a Malawi problem. We genuinely lack vision and good strategies. I believe the focus should not be on uprooting these already married girls from their “forced” marriages but rather on how best we may prevent this from happening again.
FOOLISH men marry girls instead of letting them go to school. Reason, they want girls and women to depend on them financially and then keep abusing them in the name of marriage. Banja silikoma ndi umphawi and child bearing is harmful for girls. If Malawi is to develop, then girls need to ne educated.
Ana anva kukoma ntchila nde you want them them to learn algebra, singagwile. I think penya has a good idea, comprimize. Ntchila weekend, School withing the week. At least you will keep more in school this way.
Sha! Alawa kukoma kwa shaft ndiye mukuona ngati mukuwathandiza powachotsa kubanjako?
Ihhhh! Asanduka mahule, adzingochinditsa wamba chifukwa choisowa lombo ndithu!
So why disturbing and confusing the girls if you know that after destroying their marriage happiness you wont be able to support them. What you need to know is that despite being forced into marriage by what ever circumstances you may tell us, some of them get used and absorbed by their new environment such that it becomes normal and wonderful to them.
Please leave the girls alone if you know you will not sustain your support after that nosense disturbance.
Its great work.school is sustainable and dependence support.shame to those who thinks to return again.marriage will never end, but school has got its time.
Well done KAGEWE but there is more than that number in other T/As in Karonga.Try your level best KUFIKIRA ma TA onse muno mu Karonga.Panopa anthu akolola mpunga wambiri,moti akonzekera mwakathithi kukwatira tima Teen age.Chonde civic educate the communities.