Female chief in Malawi breaks up 850 child marriages and sends girls back to school

[HuckleB]

http://www.inhabitots.com/female-chief-in-malawi-breaks-up-850-child-marriages-and-sends-girls-back-to-school/

"Theresa Kachindamoto, the senior chief in the Dedza District of Central Malawi, wields power over close to 900,000 people… and she’s not afraid to use her authority to help the women and girls in her district. In the past three years, she has annulled more than 850 child marriages, sent hundreds of young women back to school to continue their education, and made strides to abolish cleansing rituals that require girls as young as seven to go to sexual initiation camps. With more than half of Malawi’s girls married before the age of 18, according to a 2012 United Nations survey — and a consistently low ranking on the human development index, Kachindamoto’s no-nonsense attitude and effective measures have made her a vital ally in the fight for women’s and children’s rights.

Kachindamoto, who was born in Dedza District, had been working as a secretary for twenty-seven years in another district when she was called to come home and serve as a chief. Upon her return, she was dismayed at the sight of 12 year-old girls with babies and young husbands and quickly began to take action. Last year, Malawi raised the legal age to marry to 18, yet parental consent continues to serve as a loophole to allow younger girls to marry. Kachindamoto ordered 50 of her sub-chiefs to sign an agreement ending child marriage in Dedza District. When a few male chiefs continued to approve the marriages, Kachindamoto suspended them until they annulled the unions. In addition to annulling the marriages (330 in June of 2015 alone!), this fierce chief sent the children back to school, often paying their school fees with her own money. She has also asked parliament to raise the minimum age of marriage again to 21.

In an area where girls are often married early to ease a family’s financial burden and where one in five girls in Malawi are victims of sexual abuse, Kachindamoto is also taking a stand against the cleansing camps where girls are routinely sent before marriage. The sexual initiation rites that take place there are extremely disturbing, particularly in a country where one in ten people has HIV. Kachindamoto is threatening to dismiss any chiefs that continue to allow these controversial practices. Kachindamoto has faced plenty of opposition to her efforts from parents and community members, even receiving death threats, yet she remains determined to continue changing minds and laws for the benefits of Malawi’s females and their futures. In Kachindamoto’s own words, “If they are educated, they can be and have anything they want.”

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[JudyM]

1. Inspiring to hear of any leaders who lead for the good of their people instead of self-enrichment.

[paulkienitz]

2. superhero cape for her

[Fast Walker 52]

3. terrific! We need more people like her!!!

[HuckleB]

6. Yes, we do, indeed.

[elljay]

4. Now THIS is a Nobel Peace Prize candidate! nt

[HuckleB]

5. Indeed.

[Odin2005]

8. I was thinking the same thing!

[tblue37]

11. + a brazillion!!! nt

[deist99]

13. Agree

I agree, and the world needs more people like this.

[Dorian Gray]

7. Inspirational

Thanks for sharing this woman's quest. She is already making a huge difference in the lives of these young women, and I hope she continues to for a long long time.

[Odin2005]

9. WOW!

[HuckleB]

12. Yes, she does!

[Hydra]

10. A one woman army!

May her crusade spread and her cause become the new normal. Crazy how women and girls are still commodities in most of the world.

[HuckleB]

17. +1,000,000 ... 000

[Hortensis]

14. Fabulous woman! We need more leaders who

will put a proper focus on lifting whole nations by lifting their women and children. The one is not possible without the other, while investment in the wellbeing of women and children yields outsize benefits.

Melinda Gates: "The data says that women spend 90 cents of every dollar they make on their children. They prioritize things like health care, nutritious food, and education. As a result, a child in a household where the mother controls the budget is 20% more likely to survive -- and much more likely to thrive.

Healthier, more educated children today means a stronger workforce tomorrow. I've seen firsthand that this argument resonates with finance ministers -- even those who are otherwise skeptical about the need to invest in women and girls. ...

That's why the Gates and Clinton Foundations are teaming up to conduct a global review of the status of women and girls everywhere. Where they're thriving -- and why. Where they're being held back -- and why. This initiative is called No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/opinion/gates-women-day/index.html?hpt=op_t1

"Women's rights are human rights." Hillary Clinton 1995, U.N. 4th World Conference on Women

[HuckleB]

15. Exactly.

Thanks for the info!

[KamaAina]

16. Right on, sister!

Maybe they'll have a woman President before we do!

I had a woman classmate from Malawi. I wonder if she ever goes back to the old country.

[tavernier]

18. Thanks for posting this!

I will make a true effort to remember her name.