Rose: CAMFED Association Response to COVID-19 in Rural Malawi - Video Transcript

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Rose, CAMFED Association Member I’m Rose Alexander, CAMFED Association alumnae member as well as Core Trainer and an advocate that works to combat barriers to girls’ education as well as advancing their rights to education.

Due to the onset of COVID-19, which has greatly affected the world and most especially vulnerable girls’ education, in Malawi, we as CAMA (CAMFED Association) members have taken an urgent response to make sure that girls are safe and protected from the disease, and also not to get pregnant and married early as well as meeting the needs that are associated with COVID-19.

As CAMA (CAMFED Association) we are visiting primary and secondary school in their homes in sensitizing them on preventative measures of COVID-19. For example, we have so far reached 81 households in the districts. Due to COVID-19, girls are vulnerable to pregnancies and early marriages that are also being addressed by myths such as:

(1) Schools will not open, therefore just marry. (2) The disease only affects white people, and not black people, or Africans. (3) And this is the end of the world so you should have babies before you die. So, we are working to put out such myths. When doing this work, we are ensuring that we are protected by observing social distancing and hand washing.

Our plan is to enhance sensitization of the communities on the spread of the virus so that we protect girls through this process and door-to-door visits so that we reach out to so many girls. Thank you.