NGO Withdraws Over 100 Girls from Child Marriages in Mangochi
CYECE helps 175 girls avoid child marriage in Malawi.
MANGOCHI, MALAWI — The Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) successfully withdraws 175 young girls from child marriages in Mangochi, writes Ernest Mfunya.
Through its "Rise Up, Speak Up, and Act Against Child Marriages" project, CYECE has made significant progress in eliminating child marriages in Traditional Authority Namavi and Namkumba.
The project, which began in 2019, aims to promote girls' education, end child marriages, enhance sexual reproductive health rights, and empower girls.
Asiyatu James, a 20-year-old from Group Village Headman Matekwe, expressed her gratitude for being one of the girls rescued from child marriage by CYECE.
She emphasised the organization's role in providing her the opportunity to continue her education and improve her family's livelihood.
Maria Moyo, who was married at the age of 17, shared her experience of physical abuse in her early marriage.
She credited CYECE's intervention for empowering her to make the decision to leave and return to her parents' home.
CYECE's district coordinator, Isaac Salimu, outlined the organization's strategies, including peer education, safe school environments, social accountability, and economic empowerment, to address the problem of child marriage.
While the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges and resulted in school closures and interventions' cancellation, the district coordinator noted a decline in child marriages in 2021 and 2022, with 84 marriages nullified.
Group Village Headman Matekwe in Traditional Authority Namabvi commended CYECE for their efforts and the by-laws set to ensure parents prioritise education and prevent early marriages.
The Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education (CYECE) is a non-profit organisation established in March 1997 to address socio-economic development issues affecting young people in Malawi.