First Lady Monica Chakwera has knocked on the door of state actors to support government’s initiatives aimed at ending challenges preventing girl child from achieving their goals.
The First Lady made the appeal on Friday in Lilongwe, during a Girls Conference and Launch of Education Plus Initiative.
Speaking at the function, Chakwera said there are many girls who are out of school due to poverty in their homes, such girls lack school fees and other important items needed to keep them in school.
According to hee, there is need for all stakeholders to join hands in assisting girls in need as statistics show that only 27% of girls enrol in secondary school, only 13% attend, and less than 5% graduate.
“It is my sincere hope that the outcome of this dialogue will form a basis for the action plan to implement the Generation Equality Commitments. The work we have started today must cascade to the region, district and community levels.” Said Chakwera.
Chakwera further called for concerted efforts, in fighting many other challenges girls are facing in the communities they live.
“One in every five girls are sexually abused before they reach 18 years and 29% of girls under the age of 18 have been pregnant. There is high rate of teenage pregnancy – 29 percent of adolescent women aged 15–19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child and the proportion keeps increasing.” She said.
The First Lady added that challenges that Adolescent girls and young women face, have been worsened by COVID19. She said: “for example, at the height of school closures, Malawi noted a potential 35%
increase in the number of pregnancies among girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in the first half of 2020 compared to a year earlier.”
“Many of these girls have not returned to school and if there is no strategic follow up, they will never return to the classroom. This is a tragedy, not only for the girls, their families, communities, but also for Malawi’s development.”
On her part, Jewel Taylor, Liberian Vice President urged women and girls not to stop fighting for their rights. She said “the battle is not yet over until everyone is free from shackles of sexual and gender based violence”.
Later interacting with the girls, Dr Joyce Banda Malawi’s Former President and Chairperson of Women’s Empowerment and Development (WED) AFRICA – ASIA also had a chance advised the girls to brand themselves and draft their own mission statement that will include their vision and what they want to become in life.
“Associate with achievers and people who will tell you things that will help you. Have confidence in yourself, do not be afraid, forgive but do not forget, be honest and most important work hard, make money, there is no harm in being rich”. – she told the girls.
Girls from different backgrounds aged between 15 and 20 gathered at the BICC in Lilongwe where the First Intergenerational Dialogue on Generation Equality and women’s Leadership is taking place. Different women leaders interacted with the girls as one way of inspiring them, hear their stories and challenges.