Achievements Although Through Challenges

By Mphatso Chimfuti

Mangochi is one of the districts where many girls drop out of school due to teenage pregnancies, forced marriages as well as poverty. Only few girls manage to finish tertiary education when they go back to school after giving birth.

UNICEF introduced a Functional Literacy Program in Namwera area in Mangochi district where girls who dropped out of school due to different reasons are being given different skills such as business skills so that they can earn a living.

This program also gives the girls literacy skills so that they may be able to read and write. This year, UNICEF trained 5,500 girls in 3 districts namely Mangochi, Salima and Dedza where 600 girls have gone back to school at primary level.

Speaking with the Program Officer for Youths and Adolescents at UNICEF Mr. Patrick Chakholoma, this Functional Literacy Program is helping the girls in different ways.

"This program is making girls productive and they're able to go back to school," Chakholoma said.

Chakholoma also said that there's high demand since many girls are interested in this program.

Although this program is helping girls go back to school, Sauda Yusufu aged 15, one of the girls who dropped out of school when she was in standard 3 and went back to school after she graduated in this program, Sauda has challenges.

"I dropped out of school because my family is poor and I was going to school without eating, I do not have a school uniform and I also lack basic needs." Sauda said.

Sauda is now able to read and write and she is in standard 4 at Chingwenya primary school in Namwera,Mangochi. "Tomorrow I will not go to school because my clothes are all dirty." Sauda said.

Martha Matunu Malunda, a teacher for the Functional Literacy Program in Mangochi, said that among 25 students who graduated this year 5 have gone back to school at primary level.

"Other girls don’t come to school because they are married so they have to take care of their husbands. This disturbs their learning," Malunda said.

UNICEF is looking forward to work with Ministry of Labour so that they may help the girls with different skills so that it can become a nation-wide program.