This action provides early child development facilities to 600 children of teen mothers withdrawn from early marriages in Malawi. The action relieves survivors of child marriages of childcare burden to facilitate their school re-enrolment and retention.
9% and 46% of girls in Malawi get married before 15 and 18 years respectively (UNICEF), contrary to the legal marriage age of 18 years. Malawi's Education Policy provides that young girls return to school after giving birth. However, childcare burden makes it socially and economically cumbersome for teen mothers to return back to school. With ECD facilities thinly accessible and income opportunities limited, most teen mothers are trapped into further poverty after their withdraw from marriage.
Drop in Centres will be built in rural communities to provide ECD facilities to children of teen mothers. This will allow ECD access at nearest level of care and relive teen mothers of childcare burden so as to improve their school re-enrolment and retention. Teen mothers will also be provided with market-oriented technical skills while entrepreneurship groups will be established to support income generation activities and improve economic self-reliance for teen mothers.
This action cuts the cycle of transmissive poverty by reducing economic and social vulnerabilities of teen mothers and their children through: a) Increased access to and provision of ECD facilities among children of teen mothers; b) enhanced education outcomes among teen mothers by facilitating school re-enrolment and class retention; and c) Increased livelihood opportunities for teen mothers marriage through provision of technical skills and business opportunities.
