‘Real Fathers’ champion girl child education in Chikwawa

Fifty thousand kwacha was enough money to convince James Josiah* to receive as collateral to send his 17-year-old daughter Triza* into marriage.

Although it was against her wishes, Triza, a Standard 8 leaner at Chindowole Primary School in Chikwawa district, had no choice but to concede to her parent’s wishes.

In most parts of Chikwawa, sending young girls into marriage is common. This is exacerbated by poverty, cultural practices and religious beliefs.

Triza’s experience reflects a common reality for many girls in Malawi, which has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

On average, one out of two girls in the country will be married by her eighteenth birthday, according to the United Nations.

For some girls, marriage may suggest a route, often unfulfilled, to escape poverty. Child marriage is also deeply entrenched in Malawi’s traditions and patriarchal cultures, which encourage early sexual initiation and marriage and women’s subordination in society, but stigmatize adolescent pregnancy.

Marriage is regarded as a means of protecting girls who get pregnant from undermining family honour.

The problem of early marriages in Malawi has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially after the government ordered all schools closed in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

With schools closed and with no concrete solution in the horizon, Josiah, a father of six who hails from James village in T/A Ngabu in Chikwawa, thought it wise to send Triza into marriage.

“She was just staying at home as schools were closed. I couldn’t support her anymore and when someone asked for her hand in marriage, I gave her away,” he said.

Fortunately for Triza’s and younger girls in the generation after this, ‘Real Fathers’ are changing their parents’ mindset regarding sending young girls to early marriages.

‘Real Fathers’ concept uses mentor fathers whose role is to shape fathers like Josiah to become responsible, engaged and loving fathers.

So influential is the programme that once Josiah was convinced on the evils of early marriages, he returned the collateral money and sent his daughter back to school.

Save the Children Chief of Party for the Apatseni Mwai Atsikana Aphunzire (AMAA) Project Lexon Ndalama says the initiative is championing fathers as role models and advocates for ending early marriages.

“We saw that there was a strong culture in discouraging girls in continuing with their education, especially when they reach puberty. Therefore, we trained men as ambassadors to champion girl education in their communities," explained.

The initiative works with the fathers and father figures that have adolescent children aged between 10 to 14 years who they mentor in positive parenting, lobbying support for girls’ education and creating a positive environment for girls to complete their education.

"In the beginning it was not easy. Most men did not understand this concept because of our culture. But, by and by, when we received the trainings and became Real Fathers, we clearly understood the importance of sending our girl children to school instead of marrying them off," said Mont Getsman, a Real Father Mentor chairperson from Thendo zone in T/A Ngabu, Chikwawa. 

15 young marriages around the zone have been abolished since the project’s inception.

According to Chrissie Chinsale, Chikwawa's director of education, youth and sports, over 60 girls who went into marriages have been tracked and brought back to school.

"During the school closure in 2020, we had over 11,000 learners who did not come to school. Among these were girls who got married. Through AMAA project over 60 girls were withdrawn from marriages and are back in school,” she said.

*Name changed on safeguarding grounds