By Andsen Banda:
Rural Women Assembly (RWA) Malawi Chapter has over the past six years helped over 60 girls in bringing them back from early and forced marriages since it was launched in Mulanje 2015.
In an interview with Mana Chairperson for the Rural Women Assembly Malawi Chapter, Alice Kachere said that since the beginning of this programme in 2015, they have managed to withdraw young and teen mothers from marriages and facilitated that their readmissiontoschools.
“We have withdrawn a lot of girls from marriages and be sent them back to school. However, these girls have been meeting with a lot of challenges because most of them are from poor families,” she said.
Kachere added whatever they have achieved so far was as a result of series of awareness campaigns on girl child rights which the group has been embarking on previously. On top of that, she commended the passion from Oxfam Malawi their official partner who took it to different levels by funding these girls to attain education.
“We are now convinced with the outcomes that are coming due to campaigns we conducted across the country and above all, let me appreciate the passion from Oxfam, our official partner who has been funding education and other important areas of concern for these girls,” She added.
Meanwhile, Gender Justice Program Manager for Oxfam Diniwe Grace Phiri commended Rural Women Assembly for having interventions in ending social injustice and promoting women and girls’ empowerment.
“RWA is doing a great job in this country in as far as promoting girl’s education and ending social injustice through women and girls’ empowerment is concerned,” Phiri said.
She added thatOxfam decided to take part in this good initiative because there are a lot of girls out there who need support and our cooperation with Rural Women Assembly is to have simple identification of these girls because RWA has both experience and connections with local readers and villagers.
Rural Women Assembly(RWA)Malawi chapter was launched in 2015 in Mulanje and their aimsare to tackle violence against women and girls, Championing 50-50 campaign to increase women’s representation in politics and also promoting girl child education.
