World Vision Malawi rescues 56 from early marriages
World Vision Malawi says it is committed to scaling up efforts in ending child marriages in the country.
According to the organization’s associate director of communications, advocacy, gender and child affairs, Charles Gwengwe, the effort is in unison with Oxfam, Plan Malawi, YONECO, UNFPA and African UNION.
Gwengwe said their interventions compliment some of the already existing government is doing to halt early marriages.
He said: “We’ve come up with four key objectives to accomplish our plan which include community empowerment to end harmful cultural practices that perpetuate child marriages.”
Gwengwe also cited improvement of life skills for teenage boys and girls as another mechanism for the initiative.
He said World Vision hopes to accomplish the set goals with its partners.
Recently World Vision through Project A4AY rescued 56 girls from the jaws of early Marriages.
World Vision district project officer for Salima, Thandeka Nkhonde, said A4AY rescued 56 young girls in the area of Traditional Authority Maganga in Salima only.
Thandeka commended chiefs and members of the general public for being cooperative.
“In fact the project has various components which include youth empowerment, youths ready, and village banking all aimed to deal with issues of early marriages,” said Thandeka.
Thandeka said the project aims at training and empowering the youth to become productive citizens in their community and improve literacy levels.
Thandeka said the project is taking place in Traditional Authorities (T/As) Maganga, Bibi Kuluunda and Kambwiri in Salima; Traditional Authority (T/A) Kanyenda in Nkhotakota, (T/As) Kaphuka and TKachere in Dedza.
Salima district youth officer, Aubrey Banda, said the project has indeed brought impact in Salima saying issues of early marrriages have drastically dropped.
Banda commended a good rapporteur with village development committees (VDCs), community based organizations (CBOs), government ministries and faith-based organizations.
With the project in Salima alone 68 teachers have been trained in various skills, 75 youths have been trained in leadership and management, 48 care givers have been trained in early childhood development while 45 care givers have been trained in entrepreneurship.
Emmanuel Phiri, chairperson at Chikondi Youth Ready Club in the district said “youths have been fully empowered.”
According to Phiri the youths are now engaged in small scale development activities, including businesses.
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World Vision, Plan and fellow NGOs,. if you are serious go to Dedza. There is a 20 year old child who has scored 12 points at St Marys and she has just been selected at to university of Malawi. Her uncle has married her off to a businessman who has already got two wives. Her parents are very poor and they are looking at the marriage as the way out of poverty. The uncle has been given a pathetic K28,000 as bridal price.