ROSCHER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR GIRL CHILD EDUCATION

BACKGROUND

Rumphi district is situated to the northern part of Malawi. The district has 192,000 total populations, dominated by the tumbuka ethnic tribe. 60% of the total population is the youths. The tumbukas follow patrimonial type of marriage.

Through this system a husband pays bride price called dowry (lobola), it ranges from 5 to 6 heads of cattle. Through this system, most families are found encouraging boys to go to school and wait patiently with interest for their girl’s children to get married so that they receive their bride portion.

The case of Janet Mkandawire, 18, a student at Rumphi DEC , her father forced her into marriage when she was in standard eight but she run away and her mother struggles to pay for her school fees because the father is refused. Her parents divorced soon after Janet refused to get married. She is in form 4. Her dreams are to become a nurse.

There are few people who send their girl child to school but offer very little support. This becomes more difficult to these girls when they want to attend secondary education. Malawi secondary education is very difficult to attain as most schools are far apart from each other 45 to 50 kilometers. The whole of Rumphi district has only one girl boarding secondary school and 10 community day secondary schools. There are few private secondary schools but school fees are very expensive. Poverty level in our district is very high, 86% of the people are in dire poverty and Malawi as a country is second from the last poorest country in African ratings. Poor families send their children to community day secondary schools. Life is unbearable in these education facilities. There are no boarding facilities and students prepare their own food, look for their own accommodation closer to the school and some walk long distances (5 to 10 Kilometers) to attend day classes. There are high school dropouts due to early marriages, early pregnancies and lack of girl’s bathrooms for them to change their pads when they are in menstrual period. Most girls are absent from classes for a period of seven days to avoid embarrassment from boys. The situation is worse to vulnerable girls like orphans, disabled and albinos. Orphans are forced to get married by their relatives, disabled people are unable to attend classes due to distance while albinos are cannot withstand the flies and hit conditions when going to school.

Roscher youth development center is striving to address the situation by engaging the students, parents and teachers in forums where issues hampering girl’s education are discussed and necessary recommendations are put in place. We have aligned a number of activities in line with the project goal. The project would need money to engage government to enforce child rights related laws, sensitize the community on the need to support girl’s students, and support poor girls with school necessities like note books and pens. Mother group committees will be empowered through trainings to push for bye laws that protect the rights of girls in the Rumphi community. On the other hand the project will provide wheel chairs to disabled girls provide lotion to albinos and offer basic support to orphaned girls.

PROJECT GOAL

“Enhanced girl’s education through parental, students and teacher’s engagement”

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To promote girl child education

To reduce girls early marriages.

To reduce HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted infections among the young girls.

To combat the harmful cultural beliefs that hampers girls’ education in the country.

TARGET GROUP

The project is targeting vulnerable children’s such as orphans, disabled and albinos.

PLEASE WATCH FOR OUR CAMPAIGN TO COME HERE ON BLUPELA TO RAISE FUNDS NEEDED FOR THIS SUPPORT