Rose was born in rural Malawi. Tragedy struck when she was only six years old, and her mother and brother died in the same year. Rose grew up with her grandparents who did not have any paid work, and depended on subsistence farming. To earn money for soap, clothes and shoes, Rose did odd jobs for neighbors. Sometimes she would go to sleep without having eaten anything all day.
The challenges Rose faced intensified as she progressed to secondary school. In Rose’s district, and across Malawi, there are many barriers to girls’ education. These include widespread poverty and an acute lack of secondary schools. In this context, girls are often the first to be excluded from education, leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of child marriage, early pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.
Rose was determined to stay in school, walking 7 km there and back, but her family struggled to raise the money for her school fees and all the other essentials. When she found out she would receive support from CAMFED and The Mastercard Foundation, Rose was so happy to be able to complete her secondary education.
“Education is a key that unlocks somebody from being unknown to known.”
In 2014, Rose graduated into the CAMFED alumnae association, CAMA, a peer support network for like-minded young women. Their sisterhood addresses rural isolation and provides young women with a platform for stepping up for others.
Rose has played an active role in CAMA from the very beginning. She served as National Secretary for two years, as well as being elected as District Chairperson, a role in which she served from 2015 to 2016. In 2017, Rose was selected by the Neno District Community Development Committee as a Core Trainer to help manage a CAMFED program to reduce child and early marriages among girls and young women in her district.
As part of her role she trains CAMA ‘Learner Guides’ to deliver a life skills, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and wellbeing curriculum in target schools, and works with families to raise awareness of the importance of girls’ education. Rose also reaches out to community members to deliver information and training on HIV/AIDS and SRH.
Rose (right) pictured at a CAMA Leadership Summit in Zambia with founding CAMA member and Director of CAMA Development, Fiona Mavhinga. (Photo: CAMFED/Anke Adams)
A passionate champion for girls’ education, Rose has a growing reputation in her community and beyond as an activist against child marriage. Like CAMA’s many ‘GirlGuardians’, she regularly facilitates awareness campaigns around child marriage, speaking out in front of large groups of parents and children, teachers and school committee members, together with local traditional leaders, mother support groups, social welfare officers and the police.
“I have ended 9 child marriages. I work hand in hand with traditional leaders in my community.”
Rose advocates for the right of every girl to go to school, and has been reporting child marriage as child abuse cases to the Social Welfare Office. Thanks to her activism, nine child marriages have already been annulled, the child brides are returning to school, and perpetrators of abuse have been arrested.
“Ten years from now, I see a bright future because I am fully empowered and educated. I will help more children, assisting them with their basic needs.”
Using the profits from her grocery business, Rose has managed to pay school fees for seven girls to attend secondary school, four of whom have now graduated. Her commitment stands her in good stead to fulfil her ambition of becoming a Child Protection Worker. Already her efforts are keeping vulnerable girls in education, ensuring they become educated and empowered young women with the ability to lead change.