Senior Chief Chikumbu: My heart is for education
I’m Ida, Senior Chief in Mulanje district, Malawi. I’m dedicated to championing the rights of women and girls in my community—helping them secure their right to education and reach their ambitions.
Paramount Chief in Malawi: “I will not tolerate child marriages”
CAMFED works in partnership with underserved, largely rural communities across Africa, where several interlinked poverty-related factors contribute to girls being pushed out of school, or never having the opportunity to progress to secondary education in the first place. In this context, marriage is often perceived as the only choice.
When girls marry early, they are at risk of physical and mental abuse, as well as serious complications from early child birth. While many families hope a husband will be able to support his wife through school, marriage usually spells the end of education. Child brides will struggle to gain the knowledge or earn the respect and decision-making power that they need to live fulfilling lives and contribute to their communities.
To help tackle this issue and improve educational outcomes for the most marginalized girls, CAMFED partners with traditional leaders across its countries of operation, who are taking a leading role in ending child marriage.
Engaging with traditional leaders to protect girls from early marriage in Malawi
In Malawi, one of the lowest income nations in the world, 38% of girls marry before the age 18, 8% marry before the age 15, and 52% of women who were married before the age of 18 have no or only pre-primary education.
CAMFED Malawi recently joined chiefs from across our operational districts to discuss stronger implementation and enforcement of traditional leaders’ by-laws aimed at protecting girls from early marriages. CAMFED’s work is led by community members, who are deeply committed to safeguarding girls and ensuring they have the support they need to stay in school, learn and succeed.
“As the only female Paramount Chief* in Malawi, I will not tolerate child marriages in my jurisdiction. I will take a leading role in enforcing local by-laws established to help keep girls in school.”Paramount Chief Kaduya, Phalmobe, Malawi
Paramount Chief Kaduya, Phalombe district
Paramount Chief Kaduya, from Phalombe district, is currently the only female Paramount Chief in Malawi. Through her leadership, she has supported girls who are now members of the CAMFED Association — women leaders educated with CAMFED support — to avoid child marriage and complete their education.
Speaking at the meeting with CAMFED in Liwonde district, she reaffirmed her commitment to girls’ education, pledging that traditional leaders will strengthen and enforce by-laws aimed at preventing child marriage.
She walks in the footsteps of the indomitable Senior Chief Theresa Kachindamato, who was globally known as the ‘child marriage terminator’ and worked with CAMFED in Dedza District, before she sadly passed away in 2025.
“CAMFED continues to invest heavily in promoting girls’ education through scholarships and educational support programmes that improve access to higher education. Since we began working in Malawi in 2008, we have supported the education of more than 800,000 girls through CAMFED programmes.”Susan Silika, Executive Director, Malawi
*Paramount Chiefs are the highest-level traditional ruler of a region, representing the will of the people and holding other chiefs and traditional leaders to account.
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