By Emily Mmangisa
Women Lawyers Association and an organisation called Advancing Girls Education in Africa (Age Africa) have embarked on a tour of secondary schools in Zomba to raise awareness on gender based violence (GBV) on top of encouraging girls to work hard in their studies to achieve academic excellence.
At Mulunguzi Secondary School, Age Africa District Officer Jessie Puwapuwa urged girls to be dedicated to their studies, saying academic excellence was significant for girls, as this assures their inclusion in many aspects of the society.
“As part of the campaign, we bring out young women from the University of Malawi (UNIMA) to inspire girls so that they should aim higher as they too can achieve their goals,” said Puwapuwa.
Lawyer Hazel Olithia Miseleni, who is also a member of Women Lawyers Association, said the engagement with girls in secondary schools was meant to inspire the girls to focus and excel in their education so that they should become independent and productive citizens.
“We aim to raise awareness among girls on various issues that hinder and limit their goals. The main idea is to see change in how they see things and start to think it is possible to get to the top,” Miseleni said.
A form three student, Lilian Banda, said she was inspired by young women from UNIMA who ignited a “work hard” drive in her through motivating talk and career guide.
During the interaction with the girls in secondary schools, the Women Lawyers Association and Age Africa officials also raised issues about child marriages, saying this was another setback in girls’ education worth collective intervention.
