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MALAWI: Girls clubs spearhead gender equality

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

LILONGWE, 29 October (PLUSNEWS) - When 20-year-old Maureen Kumwenda formed an all-girls club in the local township of Area 18 in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, she faced a lot of resistance from her community.

She was accused of being a "prostitute" and spreading HIV/AIDS because the club provided information on the disease and sexual reproductive health.

"People used to complain and try to discourage us; parents would not allow their children to become involved," she told PlusNews.

In Malawi's patriarchal society, "girls face more issues than boys," admitted Wilfred Lichapa, an official in the ministry of youth.

Young women are expected to marry as early as 14 years of age, particularly in rural areas, and most school dropouts in the country are girls.

They are also encouraged to be submissive. "When they try to be assertive, they are asked, 'why are you trying to be a boy?'" Lichapa added.

To make matters worse, their biological make-up makes young women particularly vulnerable to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

These factors, combined with low participation in "youth development efforts", such as clubs and peer education campaigns, prompted the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the youth ministry to target girls as part of the Southern African Youth (SAY) initiative funded by the United Nations Foundation, which sponsors youth projects in seven AIDS-affected countries in southern Africa.

Under the SAY project, girls are provided with vocational training in sewing, knitting, electronics and computers as well as support to form clubs, like the Area 18 All Girls Alliance (AGA) founded by Maureen and her friends. Youth-friendly clinics offering family planning and counselling are also part of the project.

Like many young girls in the country, Maureen did not have enough money to complete her schooling. She lives with her older sister, a retired civil servant who is the sole breadwinner in a family of 10.

But she recently completed her certificate course in information technology, and hopes to open a small workshop fixing computers to help her sister and relatives.

This might be difficult as her course was largely theoretical. To practice on a computer, Maureen would have to travel to the ministry of youth offices in town and request the use of their equipment.

[ENDS]