District Youth Office Urges Stakeholders to Protect Malawi’s Girls from Early Pregnancies and Child Marriages

Luciano Milala

The District Youth Office in Mchinji has urged stakeholders to join efforts in protecting girls from teenage pregnancies and child marriages.

According to the District Youth Office Ian Sukali, the district is implementing a Comprehensive Sexuality Education project aimed at reducing teenage pregnancies, ending child marriages and addressing harmful cultural practices that continue to affect thousands of girls across Malawi.

The initiative, which will run for the next five years, seeks to empower young people with knowledge, life skills and improved access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services.

Speaking in an interview with our reporter, Mchinji District Youth Officer Ian Sukali said the programme comes at a time when the country is grappling with high levels of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.

“As a district and as a country, we are facing serious challenges of teenage pregnancies and child marriages. These are some of the major factors contributing to high school dropout rates. We cannot develop as a nation if we leave our girls behind,” said Sukali.

He further explained that the programme will focus on providing out-of-school Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), targeting young people who are not in formal education — a group often left out of critical information and services.

However, Sukali admitted that the initiative has faced resistance from some parents, community leaders and church members who fear that sexuality education may encourage early sexual activity.

“This project is about giving our young people correct information. It is about equipping them with life skills so that they can make informed decisions about their future,” Sukali explained.

“There are misconceptions that we are promoting sexual behaviour among the youth. That is not true,” Sukali clarified.

“Our goal is to protect them, guide them and give them knowledge that will help them avoid risky behaviour.” He added.

To address these concerns, Sukali said the Ministry plans to hold continuous engagement meetings and roundtable discussions with parents, traditional leaders, faith leaders and other key stakeholders.

“We want everyone to be part of this journey. Through dialogue, we can clear the myths and work together for the good of our children,” he said.

One of the youth participants in the training workshop from Traditional Authority Mlonyeni, Jessy Gwedeza, commended the government for introducing the Comprehensive Sexuality Education project, saying it will help address some of the myths existing in communities.

She said after the training, participants will be able to engage and train different stakeholders so that communities have the right information to help reduce teenage pregnancies in the country.

The project is being funded by the Government of South Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supporting its implementation in Malawi.