A follow-up on the Youth Coordinating Agency in Development (YOCADE)’s advocacy project, supported by the Hilden Charitable Funds (London, UK), reveals that despite efforts to promote girls’ education and eliminate social injustices linked to harmful cultural and religious beliefs, challenges remain in the targeted schools.
The project, implemented in four schools—two in Blantyre Rural and two in Blantyre Urban under Traditional Authority Machinjiri—aims to address high dropout rates among marginalized girls due to early pregnancies, child marriages and poverty, as well as a lack of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) education.
The initiative engaged key stakeholders, including District Education Managers, school governance committees and community-based organizations (CBOs), to strengthen support structures for girls’ education.
Additionally, it introduced girls’ clubs within and outside schools to empower adolescent girls with SRHR knowledge.
However, a recent assessment highlights ongoing challenges, particularly the lack of menstrual-friendly facilities, which continues to hinder school attendance.
Mervis Chitika, the Project Coordinator, noted during a dialogue session with out-of-school adolescent girls that inadequate sanitation remains a critical barrier.
Many girls in Blantyre Rural, especially in the neglected Mapazi Zone, still struggle with poor school infrastructure, leading to frequent absenteeism and dropouts during menstruation.
Mapazi, which manages eight schools, remains one of the lowest-performing zones, recording only a 2% pass rate in recent national mock exams.
Nationally, Malawi’s school dropout rate stands at approximately 10.5%, with factors such as long distances to school, poverty, and poor learning environments contributing to the crisis.
Community dialogue meetings with Mother Groups in the four targeted schools—Mapazi and Chipande (Blantyre Rural) and South Lunzu and Namilango (Blantyre Urban)—reinforced that early pregnancies and child marriages continue to drive school dropouts.
Last year alone, 11 girls dropped out at Namilango, 21 at South Lunzu, and 34 at Mapazi in Blantyre Rural.
These findings underscore the need for sustained interventions to improve school environments, including better menstrual hygiene facilities and stronger SRHR education, to ensure more girls remain in school and complete their education.
