The chief of the Ngoni tribe in Malawi, Theresa Kachindamoto, is the first female chief not to turn a blind eye to the issue of child marriage. She has broken 850 child marriages in the last three years.
Kachindamoto became the leader of over 900,000 people in the Dedza district near Lake Malawi after 27 years as a secretary. She suspended chiefs who consented to child marriages until they annulled the marriages in their villages.
Malawi has a massive issue with child marriage. Kids as young as 12 years old get married off due to tradition or poverty.
In Malawi, 47% of women are married before the age of 18, which is a severe violation of girls’ human rights. Child marriage has dire consequences for girls, including sexual violence, risky pregnancies, fistula and HIV.
Child marriage jeopardizes girls’ rights, especially the right to education, because new brides are forced to drop out of school and provide household labour.
Theresa Kachindamoto is shaking up centuries of tradition and challenging deep-rooted norms to protect young girls and give them a better shot at a brighter future.
Her strategy to end child marriage involved raising awareness about education for children, especially young girls, actively annulling marriages, hiring educational enforcers, and involving other chiefs in the process.
To ensure the continuity of the process, Theresa also engaged in extensive conversations with parents who had already married off their daughters or were planning to do so. Additionally, she conducted regular checks at schools to ensure that all girls were attending classes. Lastly, she highlighted the achievements of successful women who attributed their success to education.
Kachindamoto has also either paid the children’s school fees herself or found sponsors for them. She ensures the children stay in school through a network of “secret mothers and fathers”.
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