Theresa Kachindamoto, the chief of a tribe of around one million people in Malawi, was concerned about the significant reality of child marriages in the country and decided to start trying to reverse the situation. Today, at 64 years old, she has already managed to cancel more than a thousand ceremonies.
In this African country, half of young women get married under the age of 18 and only 45% remain in school after the eighth grade, according to the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
Kachindamoto assumed leadership of the tribe Ngoni, in the district of Dedza, in central Malawi, in 2015. She was the first woman to hold the position and realized that she needed to change entrenched customs, such as child marriages. The goal has always been to protect future women, explains the website Dark World.
The tribe chief’s strategy to end child marriage involves raising awareness about education for women, particularly after the adolescence stage.
Through donations, the woman was able to carry out regular inspections at schools to ensure that all girls attended classes.
According to the UN, child marriage, a widespread problem in Malawi, is a serious violation of girls’ human rights and can have serious consequences for women as they are more exposed to sexual violence, high-risk pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
Tags: Tribe chief history annulling thousand child marriages Malawi Africa
