Women movement want Malawi gov’t to prioritise development for rural areas

The Young Women Movement for Justice and Development has called on government to put priority in the rural areas in its developmental programs.

Speaking in an interview with Nyasa Times, the movement Executive Director Mphatso Jumbe said unlike in the urban areas where there are many opportunities, young girls in the rural areas have very little to motivate them to further their studies.

“For example, if we look at the education sector, which is the foundation for the better future of every girl child, you will see that there are many schools with enough teachers and resources in the urban than in the rural.

“During one of our consultation meetings, we found a full primary school in Ntchisi where they were only two teachers, one school block and no resources, one wonders how these girls can get quality education under these circumstances,” she said.

Further, Jumbe said, there are a lot of job opportunities in the cities than rural areas which also in turn, make the girls not interested to continuing with their education.

“In some areas, we have met girls who opted to drop out in schools for early marriages because they see no importance in education.

“If government is serious in making sure that girls have an equal share of economic opportunities with men in the country, then we should start investing in the rural areas because it is where there are a lot of them than in the cities,” she said

The movement was formed to address issues that young women face in the society such as sexual violence, lack of quality education, economic participation and lack of participation in decision making.

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