Pakachere Institute for Health and Development Communication says promotion of girl child education is a stepping stone towards the development of society.
The organisation’s programme officer, Basimenye Nhlane, said this in Zomba on Thursday when the organisation held a social dialogue advocacy forum at Nsondole Education Zone in sub-Traditional Authority Nkagula and St Martins Education Zone in Senior Chief Chikowi in the district.
Pakachere runs Tsogolo Langa project—a radio programme which started in the area in 2010 and is being run in partnership with the Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (Creccom) with support from the Swedish Organisation for Individual and Relief (Soir)—in the area.
She said they chose the two rural areas because they have a great number of girls who drop out of school at a tender age.
Apart from the radio programme, the organisation also conducts girl child education through community mobilisation and advocacy that involves mother groups, community and religious leaders, parents and teachers who are encouraged to play a role in ensuring that girls are concentrating on school.
“The radio programme has transformed peoples’ lives here as they are able to appreciate the significance of a girl child education. For instance, the feedback from the teachers shows that numbers of girls dropping out from school are reducing every year.
“This gives hope that in the near future, Malawi will have a greater number of educated women who will be vibrant tools for socio-economic development of their families, communities and the nation at large,” she said.
