PROMOTING AWARENESS ON THE DANGERS OF EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGES (INITIATIVE COVID-19)

The Covid-19 global pandemic has adversely affected growth of economies and progression of various developments almost in all spheres of the world. African Network for Protection and Prevention against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN) Malawi chapter devised a project aimed at ensuring inclusive quality education service delivery. During the first wave of Covid-19, the Malawi Government imposed restrictions in what was named partial lockdown. School were closed, public gatherings were banned including religious congregations. The closure of schools led to the spate of teenage pregnancies and child marriages as a research by a reputable organization called Oxfamuncovered that in every hour a girl child was being impregnated in Mangochi. This challenge rocked every district and region in Malawi. These statistical findings raised concerns on the long-term consequences of the challenge (Teenage Pregnancies and Child Marriages). Through Economic lens people were envisaging Malawi with high illiteracy levels more especially among the youths thereby rendering a significant chunk of the population less productive thus slowing social economic development. Concerned with such prospects ANPPCAN crafted a project with focus on motivating young mothers who happens to be Covid-19 victims to go back to school and proceed with their studies. The project involves holding focus group discussions with various stakeholders be it victims (teen mothers), teachers, Parents as well as Community leaders to create a conducive environment for such girls to resume their studies. In addition, project seeks to engage various students such as Students living with various physical disabilities, Students living with Albinism, girls and boys with the aim of fighting stigma and discrimination among students that can impinge continuation of schools by teen mothers and physically challenged groupings. Furthermore, ANPPCAN through the project engages community leaders to formulate bylaws in their communities to ensure that parents with teen mothers and physically challenged children send their young ones back to school failing which they are punished with community service tasks. This has led to the increase of teen mothers and physically challenged mothers in schools. Again, the project facilitated minded set clean-up session for teen mothers and physically challenged learners. In these sessions teachers in their respective schools were trained to create special classes for teen mothers and physically challenged students aside from normal classes with the aim of preparing these disadvantaged students psychologically to focus on their education not their physical status. This initiatives have seen teen mothers and physically challenged learners being best performers in some of the targeted schools.