Girls’ education and why we need to care
“Why the focus on girls’ education?” This was a question I was recently asked by a friend after returning from Malawi to complete a project on girls’ education. There were many ways that I could have answered this question. The story that I chose to share was about the inspiring and crucial work of Chief Theresa Kachindamoto.
Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. In some parts of the country sexual initiation practices exist to ‘prepare’ young girls for marriage. Chief Kachindamoto has been working tirelessly to annul child marriages and to ban these abusive sexual initiation practices. Her work has received international recognition, for example she recently received the 2017 New African Woman in Civil Society award.
A few things struck me about Chief Kachindamoto’s approach. First, was her way of involving the whole community. It is one thing to hear about the importance of a community-based approach to girls’ education, but another to see it in action. The community network supporting girls’ education included groups of mothers and fathers (including secret groups to check that girls were not being withdrawn from school), child protection groups, village leaders, a band, and of course girls themselves.
The second thing that struck me was Chief Kachindamoto’s determination. Changing mindsets around the importance of girls’ education is no easy task. After initially being dismissed for facilitating child marriages, one community leader spoke of his appreciation of being given a second chance by Chief Kachindamoto, and described how he now works in collaboration with the chief to support girls’ education.
The third aspect of her approach that stood out for me was the comprehensiveness of her support. Her work has included finding scholarships for girls, enabling girls to return to school after pregnancy, and working to change bylaws to abolish child marriages. A holistic approach is needed to address the range of challenges faced by girls.
At times the challenges can feel overwhelming. But given the impact girls’ education can have on enhancing social, economic and health outcomes, I believe that we need to take inspiration from people such as Chief Kachindamoto. We need to find ways not just to provide girls with access to school, but to ensure that they have a high-quality education, one that enables them to succeed within and beyond the education system. And we need to ensure that girls feel safe and empowered throughout their educational experiences.
In one week’s time, I will be joining the UNLEASH Lab in Denmark where we will have an opportunity to come together to develop ideas that can move us closer to achieving the SDG targets. I will be collaborating with others to create innovative approaches to support SDG4 to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
So why focus on girls’ education? Because providing high-quality, relevant and accessible education to girls has the power to have a transformational impact on the lives of all students, communities and the world.
