Faith Leaders Vow to Fight Early Child Marriages
Faith leaders in Nsanje vow to fight child marriages, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
Nsanje, Malawi-Faith leaders in Nsanje say they can play a crucial role in eradicating early child marriages, which are negatively affecting the girl child and the development of the country, writes Cornelius Lupenga.
The leaders made the remarks on Thursday at the end of a three-day training on interfaith behaviour change in early child marriages.
The training was organised by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and DanChurchAid(DCA) with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Vice Chairperson for the District Interfaith Aids Committee (DIAC), Pastor Tenson Nyamasakha Tembo, said both the government and NGOs have made much effort in the fight against early child marriages, but the malpractice is still increasing.
"Time has come for the churches and mosques to pass messages about the dangers of early child marriages in society," he said.
One of the participants, Sheikh Hussein Ngwali, from the area of Senior Chief Mlolo in the district, said the training had been an eye-opener in the sense that he had no or little knowledge of early child marriages.
"The area of Senior Chief Mlolo in Nsanje is on record of having the highest cases of early child marriages in the district," he alleged.
Project Officer for the Foundation for Civic Education and Social Empowerment (FOCESE), Yankho Kaliati, said her organisation supports girls who abandon early child marriages equally.
"We provide scholastic materials to assist them in school," said Kaliati.
The Interfaith Behaviour Change on Early Child Marriages project is being implemented in three districts, Chikwawa, Nsanje, and Machinga, at a cost of K173 million from November 2022 to August 2023.