Back to school

It’s that time again when Facebook is awash with pictures of children all set for a return to school. Oversized uniforms show parents’ optimism that their children will grow into them before the knees and elbows are full of holes.

For us, there are a few weeks of holiday left before Eilidh returns to school. This week includes a trip to a seamstress in the hope we can eke out one more term for the school dress.

At the same time, proposal research has brought my focus to the plight of school-age girls in Malawi. It’s a stark contrast.

About a month ago we received a call at the office asking for help. A girl had gone missing from school, supposedly abducted by a young man for marriage. A colleague managed to get teachers, the man’s family and local authorities together and establish what had happened.

I remember clearly the picture of the young girls’ classmates. Just 12 years old. Halfway through her school career. A child, not a wife. To this day the girl remains missing.

Currently, our office is supporting a group of eight girls through education. They are orphans and as such at high risk of early marriage. Small grants have covered school fees, boarding fees and help towards the cost of uniforms and school supplies. Visitors from Scotland brought a gift from Nithsdale Church of Scotland Guilds which will buy the girls solar lamps so that they can continue with their homework and studies in the evening.

“Malawi has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage, with half its girls married before the age of 18 and teen pregnancies contributing to 20-30 percent of maternal deaths in the country. The practice of child marriage condemns girls to a vicious cycle of poverty. They are forced to miss out on education (in Malawi, only 45 percent of girls remain in school past [S2]), are rendered more vulnerable to violence, and forced to bear children before they are physically and mentally prepared.”

UN Women

The legal age for marriage in Malawi is 18. However, this has only been the case from February 2017. In parts of northern Malawi, more than 1 in 4 married ‘women’, are just children. Even without pressures to marry, girls are forced out of education because of period poverty, because they need to work or care for family members or simply because there are few role models that show the opportunities education can hold for girls.

So, this week will be one of contrasts as we with parents worldwide prepare for the return to school. Full of pride as we seek to encourage our children to do their best. Invested emotionally and financially in nurturing their aspirations and protecting the possibilities that education opens.

At the same time acknowledging that education is not a universal commodity and for too many girls it remains a luxury. That schools are not always a safe haven. That when poverty, culture and a lack of protection collide, girls are the ones who often pay the price. What they miss in stolen classroom days, they pay for throughout their lives.

Opportunities to make a difference are plentiful, resources, however, are not. For now, I have to find hope in the eight girls we are able to help. I pray that proposal researching and writing turns into an opportunity to help more girls get access to justice and education. There are countless others fighting for the rights of girls in Malawi and worldwide. If you have a chance to help them, please do. As you pray for and encourage families returning to the school run, please do the same for families in Malawi and girls in particular.