Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS) with funding from Norwegian State Broadcast (Telethon) through Plan International Malawi is implementing a project titled “Child Not Bride”. This project life span is four years (January, 2022 - December, 2025). The project aims to contribute towards reduction of child marriages, teen pregnancies and increase girl’s education attainment. The project focuses on addressing issues of Gender inequalities and discrimination of women and girls; lack of Education; lack of Sexual Reproductive and Healthy Rights (SRHR); limited economic opportunities for youth and young women; and low self-esteem and agency amongst girls. Project progress is measured under four key result areas on which this report is focussing on:

• Keeping girls in School – Promote measures for retention of and keeping children safe across targeted primary and Secondary schools.
• Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights – Promote access to family planning and contraceptives services by girls and young women all the impact communities.
• Increase Girls Economic Empowerment - Youth Economic Empowerment targeted at youth, and critically poor caregivers of vulnerable adolescent girls to avert child marriages.
• Changing Discriminatory social norms and attitude - Change influenced in social norms and practices to end child marriages and teenage practices.

In achieving the purpose, FOCUS valued stakeholders’ efforts both at district and community levels. The project involved Government line offices including Gender, Children, Disability and Social welfare offices; Education office, Healthy office, Labour and Youths offices Judiciary and Police at district level. Similarly, at community level Traditional leaders, Faith leaders, Mother Support Group, PODCAM, PTA’s, SASA Women group, Men as Partners (MAP), Youths Network Leaders and student leaders.

Project Impact Area

Child not Bride project is in two Traditional Authorities (T/A) namely: Kyungu and Mwirangómbe, covering 3 Area Development Committees (ADC) i.e. Mbande, Lupembe in Kyungu and Nyungwe in Mwirangómbe. The project is targeting a total of 60 communities (Group Village Heads GVH) with 82 schools in seven zones in Karonga. Some key interventions such as Champion of Change is in 20 schools with more girls dropping out of schools also with poor pass rate more especially for girls and transitional rate of girls.

Total Reach

In 2022, the project had a direct reach of 5154 (2618 females and 2536 males) and the indirect reach of 70026 people. Out of the direct reach, 64% were children and majority are within the age range from 12 to 18 years. This was to ensure that more children were empowered so to make desirable actions toward reducing child marriages, teenage pregnancies and be able to stay in schools. Similarly, 70.4% of the indirect reach were children in the targeted schools, and few school leavers. Inclusively, the project also reached to 61 people with disabilities.

Overall progress towards the project goal

Though there was no evaluation done in 2022, however, the project registered some positive changes which pointed out toward gender equality and with likelihood of reducing the prevalence of child marriages, teen pregnancies and more girls stayed in schools. The draft report of operational research by Social Development Direct conducted in Group Village Mwenenguwe also found out that most parents/guardians prefer sending both girls and boys to school and equal support are provided regardless of gender. The increasing agencies of girls is associated with reducing child marriages and most girls prefers staying in school even if they accidentally found pregnant. In the year, 37 girls were rescued from early marriages. Amongst them, 23 were readmitted back to school.

Total Reach

In 2022, the project had a direct reach of 5154 (2618 females and 2536 males) and the indirect reach of 70026 people. Out of the direct reach, 64% were children and majority are within the age range from 12 to 18 years. This was to ensure that more children were empowered so to make desirable actions toward reducing child marriages, teenage pregnancies and be able to stay in schools. Similarly, 70.4% of the indirect reach were children in the targeted schools, and few school leavers. Inclusively, the project also reached to 61 people with disabilities.Dropping out rate for both boys and girls in most targeted schools decreased which was a signal that more girls stayed in schools in 2022 compared to 2021. This could have been contributed to the collaboration efforts of teachers, PTAs, mother groups, parents/ guardians including students themselves who were engaged in the project which also increased agencies of girls and transitional rate from primary to secondary.

Progress toward Outcomes – Key Indicators

Keeping girls in SchoolsIn 2022, there were some improvements made under this Key outcome more especially looking at the dropping out rates both in primary and secondary schools and also on the transition rate of girls from primary to secondary schools.

• The drop out in primary schools decreased from 2.90% for girls to 2.20% in 2022 and from 2.49% to 2.00% for boys.
• The rate of girls and boys who dropped out before completing secondary school significantly decreased from 14.47% to 6.84% for girls and from 4.21% to 2.75% for boys.
• The transitional rate of girls who continued to secondary school slightly increased from 32.40% to 36.68%.

The above changes could be the results of the intervention contributions that the project executed. Below are some the project efforts:

• Trained 112 educational staff including Headteachers, teachers, PEAs on code of conduct, gender responsive pedagogy and effective school governance.
• Oriented 82 PTAs, Mother Support Groups on gender responsive and school governance.
• Oriented 82 Mother Support Groups on menstrual hygiene management through Days for Girls Organisation and 140 girls received sanitary kits.

Further to that, the project also had some intervention to ensure that children and youth, including those with disability stay in schools:

• 21 (18 girls and 3 boys) received scholarships in Community day Secondary Schools. This support was based on merit.
• 45 (41 girls and 4 boys) received bursaries in CDSS. This was based vulnerability and disability. 10 girls supported under this category were the girls rescued from early and forced marriages- and 6 girls were those with disability.
• 78 girls (53 girls and 25 boys) received bursaries in form of scholastic materials such as notebooks, pens, rulers in primary schools. Out of these supported girls, 4 were selected to secondary school..
• 78 girls (53 girls and 25 boys) received bursaries in form of scholastic materials such as notebooks, pens, rulers in primary schools. Out of these supported girls, 4 were selected to secondary school..
• 78 girls (53 girls and 25 boys) received bursaries in form of scholastic materials such as notebooks, pens, rulers in primary schools. Out of these supported girls, 4 were selected to secondary school.

Access to family planning/contraceptive services Under this key result area, the project executed a number of activities which ensured adolescents have knowledge on SRHR.

• 21 (18 girls and 3 boys) received scholarships in Community day Secondary Schools. This support was based on merit.
• 20 healthy workers from 10 healthy facilities were trained on SRHR. Following the training, Nyungwe Healthy facility provided a special room for youths to access SRH services in a friendly manner. Other dedicated special days for Youth Friendly Healthy Services. Healthy workers also took some initiatives of conducting SRHR talks in schools and youth clubs surrounding their respective facilities.
• 1552 boys and girls were trained on SRHR. The trained boys and girls also helped in dissemination of SRHR information through peer to peer and youth clubs. This increased agencies amongst girls which called upon the organisers of Karonga Chitipa Heritage providing stage talking to the President of Malawi Dr. Lazaras Chakwera during cultural festive at Mbande Hill.
• 1426 adolescents were reached with motivational talks on SRHR.
• 40 parent facilitators for CoC parent circles were trained and 40 parent circles were established.

Increase Girls Economic Empowerment
Most of the activities under this result area are to be determined by the Value Chain Analysis and Market assessment survey which was conducted lately. As such most activities are scheduled to be done in 2023 except very few. Interventions under this area are to ensure that youth, more especially girls, have employment or are self-employed and young people especially young women, build on and develop their skills for wage or self-employment opportunities. Below are some few activities done:

• 6 Village Savings and Loans Groups for the youths were mapped and revamped.
• 134 (134 girls and 51 boys) group VSL group members were trained.
• 24 families were supported with income generating activities.

Changing discriminatory social norms and attitude

Toward this outcome, the project conducted activities that increased awareness on issues related to CEFM among key stakeholders, increased Agencies among girls and boys and empowered chiefs and supported them to advocate for girl’s education in ending CEFM. The following interventions were conducted:

• 60 traditional leaders and faith leaders were trained on gender equality, child rights and CEFM. Trained leaders participated in raising awareness supporting the work against CEFM reached to 843 women and 763 men. They also supported the work of Local women, Men as Partners (MaP) and Mother Support Group in rescuing (37) girls from child early and forced marriages.
• 30 local women and MaP were trained on gender equality, child rights and CEFM. In addition to rescuing girls from marriages, they also conducted outreaches to girls, boys, young women and men with Gender equality, Child rights and CEFM messages (reached to 347 girls, 263 boys, 336 women and 159 men).
• 4 community dialogue meetings were conducted which increased stakeholder’s involvement in the awareness campaigns on SRHR, CEFM, Child rights and gender equality (265 Girls, 243 Boys, 341 Women and 274 Men) including those living with disability participated in the dialogue.
• 82 (headteachers, patrons, matrons, child protection workers and PEAs) were oriented on CoC. They provided support in the formation and running of CoC clubs/sessions both in schools and out of schools.
• 80 CoC mentors (40) and facilitators (40) were trained. Mentors are teachers (20 males and 20 females) from 20 CoC schools and Facilitators and community youth volunteers responsible for the running of CoC sessions both in schools and out school clubs. CoC sessions contributes towards creating healthy relationships and promoting positive changes in gender attitudes and behaviour amongst girls and boys.