More than 300 girls have been rescued from early marriages in Nkhata Bay district since 2022 through a four‑year initiative called Child Not Bride, state media reported Tuesday.
According to Malawi News Agency (MANA), the project is implemented by a non-governmental organisation called Find Your Feet with support from Plan International Malawi.
Find Your Feet Programmes Manager Sain Mskambo told MANA that the project, which ran from January 2022 to December 2025, withdrew 378 girls from early unions and supported their return to school.
Mskambo said the initiative also provided learning materials and business skills to families while establishing sustainable structures such as the Chisu Girls’ Hostel to continue assisting vulnerable girls beyond the project period.
Child marriage remains a major challenge in Malawi where nearly half of girls are married before the age of 18, according to UNICEF.
Poverty, cultural practices and limited access to education drive the practice, which undermines girls’ rights and contributes to cycles of inequality.
Despite the government raising the legal marriage age to 18 in 2015, enforcement has been weak and communities continue to struggle with entrenched traditions.
The project’s success demonstrates the importance of community‑based interventions in tackling child marriage and ensuring girls remain in school.
JN/APA