Traditional and community leaders in Dowa and Ntchisi districts have dissolved 85 marriages in less than two months, thanks to the ‘Raising the Voice of Women in the Fight Against Violence Against Women and Girls’ Project.
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (CCJP Lilongwe) is implementing the project in partnership with Child Rights Advocacy and Paralegal Aid Centre (CRAPAC) with financial support from UN Women through the Spotlight Initiative Project.
The ultimate goal of the four months project is to contribute towards significant empowerment of women and girls and creation of a violence-free environment.
The project, which expires this June, was implemented in areas under Senior Chief Nthondo and TA Kalumo in Ntchisi and TAs Chiwele, Mkukula and Msakambewa in Dowa.
In Kaleza Village in the area of Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwere in Dowa, 17-year-old Alefa Jeputala is breastfeeding her six-month-old baby while her immediate 16-year-old cousin, Gelo Postini, is carrying her four-month-old pregnancy.
Across the river in Kayesa Village, seven girls have dropped out of school over the past three years due to combined early marriages and unplanned pregnancies.
Prior to giving birth in January 7, 2021, Alefa’s desire to start married life with her 18-year-old boyfriend ended into disaster as the then innocent, nice looking and loving boyfriend had suddenly become violent and uncooperative.
Kamundi–We have developed effective initiatives designed to address underlying risk factors for violence.