Reclaiming teenage mothers' lost dreams

LEARNING TAILORING—Kalumba By Nelson Gonjani: Dorothy Nzingo of Kapyanga Village, Senior Chief Wimbe, in Kasungu District starts each day with the question: What will the family eat? "This is because, due to poverty, we are in a very difficult situation," she says. To make matters worse, her 13-year-old daughter became a single mother, turning her into a grandmother by default. She shares the pain of raising her teenage daughter, who is now a mother herself, under the same roof as other members of the family. "This has made things even more difficult because the number of those in the family has increased," she says. "The man who impregnated her is in jail. It is not easy to provide for her now," Nzingo adds. Other girls who fell pregnant narrate their own stories. Take, for instance, 23-year-old Vyness Kalumba, who gave birth at the age of 16 after entering into a relationship with a married man who already had two children. "I got married to a married man without knowing that he already had a wife. This was due to poverty because my parents could not afford to provide for my education and other basic needs," she says. While girls like Nzingo's daughter and Kalumba continue to grapple with the consequences of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, community-based organisation Knowledge Elders Young Share (Keys) is intent on changing the story. Through its Ending Child Marriage project, which is being implemented with support from Firelight Foundation, the organisation has introduced interventions aimed at helping survivors rebuild their lives. For a 13-year-old girl we shall call Mary, the intervention has given her another chance to pursue her dreams. She is now in Standard 6, despite facing some challenges along the way. "I am now back in class, rebuilding my future to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse," she says. Mary says her story is different from those of other survivors because she was not married but became pregnant while in a relationship with a man. "I did not get married. I was impregnated while in a love affair with a certain man, and after the pregnancy, the man was convicted," she says. For Nzingo, the intervention has also brought a glimmer of hope. After her daughter was sent back to school, the family got fertiliser and other farm inputs from the non-State actor to help them improve their livelihoods. For Kalumba, life is also slowly taking a positive direction. She is no longer simply a young single mother struggling to survive. She is now learning tailoring, a skill she hopes will help her become economically self-reliant and provide for her child. MWALE— We have managed to disrupt 28 child marriages "I am now a reliable tailor in our area," she says. On his part, the organisation's executive director Frank Mwale says the project is aimed at giving young girls and boys a brighter future. "We are very committed to ensuring that girls and boys have a bright future. Children must not get married at a tender age," he says. Mwale acknowledges that poverty is one of the contributing factors to child marriages in communities. "We have managed to disrupt 28 child marriages in this area under the project and we believe that poverty is the major contributing factor. We, therefore, introduced interventions such as providing farm inputs to families to ensure that they are food-secure," he says. Group Village Head Kapyanga has since pledged to enact by-laws that would help stakeholders deal with people found sexually abusing girls. "We must act swiftly by enacting by-laws and taking action against those involved in this vice," he says. Meanwhile, Kasungu District Council Social Welfare Officer Ephraim Njikho has said ending child marriages can help the country meet its socio-economic development goals, as espoused in the Malawi 2063 vision and Sustainable Development Goals. NJIKHO—This is progress "This is progress. It is not only about ending child marriages; there is also capacity-building, as survivors are being equipped with tailoring and vocational skills," he says. However, Njikho says the shortage of child protection workers is another major challenge facing the district. "We currently have only 23 child protection workers, yet Kasungu has more than 40 traditional authorities," he says. About 284 cases of child marriage were recorded in Kasungu during the first quarter of 2026, representing a significant increase from the 115 cases recorded during the corresponding period last year. Out of the 284 cases, 17 involved boys while 267 involved girls—a stark reminder that for many children in Kasungu, poverty continues to threaten not only their childhood but also the dreams they carry into the future.

WIRE — LEARNING TAILORING—Kalumba By Nelson Gonjani: Dorothy Nzingo of Kapyanga Village, Senior Chief Wimbe, in Kasungu District starts each day with the question: What will the family eat? "This is because, due to poverty, we are in a very difficult situation," she says. To make matters worse, her 13-year-old daughter became a single mother, turning her into a grandmother by default. She shares the pain of raising her teenage daughter, who is now a mother herself, under the same roof as other members of the family. "This has made things even more difficult because the number of those in the family has increased," she says. "The man who impregnated her is in jail. It is not easy to provide for her now," Nzingo adds. Other girls who fell pregnant narrate their own stories. Take, for instance, 23-year-old Vyness Kalumba, who gave birth at the age of 16 after entering into a relationship with a married man who already had two children. "I got married to a married man without knowing that he already had a wife. This was due to poverty because my parents could not afford to provide for my education and other basic needs," she says. While girls like Nzingo's daughter and Kalumba continue to grapple with the consequences of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, community-based organisation Knowledge Elders Young Share (Keys) is intent on changing the story. Through its Ending Child Marriage project, which is being implemented with support from Firelight Foundation, the organisation has introduced interventions aimed at helping survivors rebuild their lives. For a 13-year-old girl we shall call Mary, the intervention has given her another chance to pursue her dreams. She is now in Standard 6, despite facing some challenges along the way. "I am now back in class, rebuilding my future to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse," she says. Mary says her story is different from those of other survivors because she was not married but became pregnant while in a relationship with a man. "I did not get married. I was impregnated while in a love affair with a certain man, and after the pregnancy, the man was convicted," she says. For Nzingo, the intervention has also brought a glimmer of hope. After her daughter was sent back to school, the family got fertiliser and other farm inputs from the non-State actor to help them improve their livelihoods. For Kalumba, life is also slowly taking a positive direction. She is no longer simply a young single mother struggling to survive. She is now learning tailoring, a skill she hopes will help her become economically self-reliant and provide for her child. MWALE— We have managed to disrupt 28 child marriages "I am now a reliable tailor in our area," she says. On his part, the organisation's executive director Frank Mwale says the project is aimed at giving young girls and boys a brighter future. "We are very committed to ensuring that girls and boys have a bright future. Children must not get married at a tender age," he says. Mwale acknowledges that poverty is one of the contributing factors to child marriages in communities. "We have managed to disrupt 28 child marriages in this area under the project and we believe that poverty is the major contributing factor. We, therefore, introduced interventions such as providing farm inputs to families to ensure that they are food-secure," he says. Group Village Head Kapyanga has since pledged to enact by-laws that would help stakeholders deal with people found sexually abusing girls. "We must act swiftly by enacting by-laws and taking action against those involved in this vice," he says. Meanwhile, Kasungu District Council Social Welfare Officer Ephraim Njikho has said ending child marriages can help the country meet its socio-economic development goals, as espoused in the Malawi 2063 vision and Sustainable Development Goals. NJIKHO—This is progress "This is progress. It is not only about ending child marriages; there is also capacity-building, as survivors are being equipped with tailoring and vocational skills," he says. However, Njikho says the shortage of child protection workers is another major challenge facing the district. "We currently have only 23 child protection workers, yet Kasungu has more than 40 traditional authorities," he says. About 284 cases of child marriage were recorded in Kasungu during the first quarter of 2026, representing a significant increase from the 115 cases recorded during the corresponding period last year. Out of the 284 cases, 17 involved boys while 267 involved girls—a stark reminder that for many children in Kasungu, poverty continues to threaten not only their childhood but also the dreams they carry into the future.

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