By Vincent Gunde
Shaping Our Future Foundation (SOFF), championed by Her First Lady Monica Chakwera, has said keeping girls in school is pivotal towards life transformation, women’s economic empowerment and ending violence against Women and girls in Malawi.
This was said during presentation of a 5-month, July-November,2024 Education Plus Initiative of empowering adolescent girls and young women project to the District Executive Committee in Dowa.
Among others, the project ensure that social and economic benefits of secondary education are directly linked to poverty reduction, a shared prosperity efforts and social equity, and inclusion of the under-privileged for a balanced and just society in Malawi.
Programs Coordinator for the organization, Lawrence Kayesa, said the project will provide bursaries to 10 needy students at Dowa Secondary, and support with mentorship to 200 and 300 girls in primary and secondary schools respectively.
"We will also strengthen networks of existing community leaders and build their capacity to collaborate with a network of chiefs, religious leaders, political leaders, and parent groups to champion policy implementation at the community level through bylaws.
"Her Excellency, the First Lady, will lead high-level advocacy through media appeals for such community structures to implement bylaws on education, elimination of child marriages and gender-based violence," said Kayesa.
In 2024, SOFF has supported 1,054 continuing students in 121 secondary schools across Malawi, of which 202 students have written the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) Examinations.
In 2023, 54 sat for MSCE exams, where 47 students passed, and 25 were selected to Public Universities.
The Education Plus Initiative; Empowering adolescent girls and young women project will be implemented with support from the UNAIDS at a total budget of K51.9 million, and Dowa alone, will get K16 million.
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