By Staff Reporter
The project aimed at enhancing gender equality and promote the right to education for girls in Mzuzu Diocese (June 2022–May 2025), funded with EUR 465,000 by Misereor and implemented in four parishes in Kasungu, Mzimba, and Rumphi districts. It responded to persistent gender-based violence, harmful cultural practices, and poverty that expose girls to defilement, early marriage, and school dropout, and it used data from routine reports and stakeholder consultations, including girls themselves, to assess progress.
Objective 1: Parents’ mindset and support
- Objective 1 sought mindset change among parents/guardians regarding equal education rights for girls and boys, and results show all three indicators surpassed targets at endline.
- 2877 of 3500 targeted parents/guardians (82%) changed socio-cultural beliefs and practices to support equality in education (target 80%), and 3026 (86%) took actionable steps to prevent early and forced marriages (target 70%).
- 3377 of 4000 targeted girls (84%) completed primary education without disruption from early marriage or teenage pregnancy (target 80%); survey data from attendance registers confirmed similar performance (82%).
- These achievements are attributed mainly to strengthened Parents and Guardians Education Advocacy Groups (PGEAG) and project volunteers, who received advocacy and lobbying training and engaged communities to discourage harmful practices like accepting dowry at the expense of girls’ schooling.
Objective 2: Protection and safeguarding systems
- Objective 2 aimed to improve protection and safeguarding systems so they effectively protect girls’ right to education in schools and communities.
- Confirmed defilement cases recorded by the Ministry of Health increased from 49 at baseline to 104 at endline (212% of baseline) against an intended 50% reduction, which the report interprets as a sign of improved reporting and awareness rather than increased incidence alone.
- CCJP supported five defilement cases in magistrate courts; three were successfully decided in favour of the girls (60% success versus a target of 100%), with some losses linked to alleged bribes that led families to misrepresent ages and consent.
- Five community by-laws to protect girls’ rights and education were developed and enforced with district councils, and their enforcement helped 3377 girls (84% of the 4000 targeted) complete primary school without disruption.
- Overall, the report concludes that protection and safeguarding systems became more responsive, as indicator performance was above average and close to targets, despite not all targets being met.
Objective 3: Re-admission and retention
- Objective 3 focused on effective, responsive re-admission strategies for girls who had dropped out of school.
- Only 128 girls were re-admitted in targeted schools using the national re-admission policy, against an ambitious target of 1010 (12.7% achievement), and the report explicitly notes that this target was unrealistic and insufficiently revised during implementation.
- Of the 128 re-admitted girls, 120 (about 93%) successfully completed primary education, exceeding the 80% completion target and showing that once re-admitted, girls largely stayed and finished school.
- The project concludes that, although the absolute number of re-admissions was much lower than planned, the re-admission strategies in place were effective and responsive for those who did return, and enforcement of the policy did promote education rights for this group.
For a detailed analysis of the project download below: