THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 ALLIANCE AND COALITION BUILDING APPLICATION GOOD PRATICE:

1. THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 ALLIANCE AND COALITION BUILDING APPLICATION GOOD PRATICE: SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS AND HIV/AIDS: PROMOTING ACCESS TO EDUCATION ON HIV AND AIDS BY TEEN AGE GIRLS IN MALAWI JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, 26-28/05/2014, ALICK CHIPIMO MAKIYI 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

2. SYNOPSIS For many years access to education by girls who had pregnancy while at school had been a challenge in Malawi. During the one party era,girls who had pregnancy during their teen age and were still in school were suspended and had no chance of readmission. Immediately after the introduction of multiparty politics and adoption of the new Constitution in 1995 the government adopted readmission policy for girls in order to promote their access to education after being pregnant. Government through Ministry of Education Science and Technology in collaboration with the civil society organizations has been implementing the policy to improve girls attainment of basic and higher education. Implementation of the policy has benefited many girls who have had pregnancy in their teen ages to complete their education. Un protected sex practices among girls has resulted into contracting HIV and early pregnancy among girls. Grassroots Movement for Health and Development trained peer educators to offer counseling to girls who had early pregnancy and stigmatized in the communities because of being going back to school. Through these trainings there is increased number of girls in schools who had teen pregnancies who are proceeding from primary, secondary and tertiary level. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

3. SYNOPSIS Cont………. • Despite the implementation of the policy, girls continue to drop out of school due to many problems which include: • Continued practices of unsafe sex resulting into unwanted teen pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted infections including HIV • Persistent harmful cultural practices such as forced and arranged marriages for girls • Low self esteem among girls and adolescence in general to make decisions with respect to protecting and enjoying their sexual reproductive health rights • Persistent poverty among the rural and peri urban populations 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

4. SYNOPSIS Cont.. • The Grassroots Movement for Health and Development (GMHD) which was formed in 2007 is a member of the Child Rights Permanent Committee of the NGO Gender Coordination Network (NGO GCN). The GMHD is also affiliated to key strategic umbrella networks such as MANASO, National Taskforce on Maputo Plan of Action Monitoring, Alcohol Policy Formulation Taskforce and The National SRHR Network. The focus of GMHD is to strengthen grassroots initiatives for women’s and children’s health and development. • Since 2008, GMHD has implemented a number of programs aimed at empowering young girls to continue with their education. One of the programs that GMHD has been implementing is GIRLS EMPOWEREMENT ON EDUCATION. • The program is being implemented in Lilongwe, Kasungu and Dedza districts in the central region in Malawi. • The main goal of the program is to increase access to education by young girls.

5. OBJECTIVES • To advocate for provision of quality education to girls in order for them realize their full potential • To empower girls to understand, promote and protect their rights including rights to education • To build girls self esteem to make decisions that affect their lives based on human rights including sexual reproductive health rights • To contribute towards prevention of HIV among girls and children and • To mitigate impact of AIDS among girls in the rural and high density urban areas. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

6. STRATEGIES • Capacity building of peer educators to offer counseling and guidance to girls who had early pregnancy and dropped out of school to go back to school. • Provision of training to girls to build their self esteem, knowledge and understanding of their human rights including sexual and reproductive health rights • Conducting community campaigns on sexual and reproductive health rights for girls including violence against girls and women • Conduct role modeling to empower girls to aim high, overcome peer pressure and stigma and discrimination

7. ACTIVITIES • 1. Capacity building for girls on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights • Identification of peer educators – Involvement of communities and girls themselves • Training of peer educators – Involvement of stakeholders to provide technical components of the trainings such as human rights, sexual and reproductive health rights, empowerment • Peer educators organize and conduct community activities for targeted girls which include one on one talks, group discussions, guiding and counseling, making referrals to other service providers, forming girls only clubs • Follow up with peer educators, girls themselves and community structures • FOR EXAMPLE: • The program has reached 8 girls who have gone back to school in Nathenje, Lilongwe. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

8. ACTIVITIES CONT….. • 2. Advocacy for provision of quality education for girls • Build capacity of community structures to support girl child education and human rights. The structures include mother groups, parent teachers association, school management committee, village and area development committees • Lobby for the provision of school friendly environment for the girl child. For instance, adequate sanitation and hygiene within the school environment, girls hostels in case of community day secondary schools, ensuring violence free environment for the girl child in the schools, adequacy of teaching learning materials, discussion teacher deployment practices with Ministry of education such that there are few female teachers in rural schools • 3. Building girls self esteem – Education of girls on human rights (CRC), SRHR, career talks, role modeling, self defense so that girls can over come sexual harassment and abuse, say no to unsafe sex and demand use of condoms without feeling guilty, and ability to make decisions about ones life. • 4. HIV/AIDS mitigation – Involved supporting girls to accept and build resilience around issues of either being affected or infected with the virus. For example, providing health talks, voluntary counseling and testing, sexuality and life skills education, counseling skills and linking them to vocational trainings 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

9. RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

10. BENEFICIARIES 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

11. CHALLENGES • Stigma and discrimination amongst beneficiaries. This is being managed by training girls and communities in children’s rights, gender mainstreaming and harmful cultural practices. • Continued occurrence of early pregnancies. This is being managed by undertaking awareness meetings, advocacy campaigns, one on one talks, community outreach with leaders. • Inadequate community bylaws to enforce girls to go to school. This is being addressed by mobilizing community leaders to form bylaws to address the challenges, follow up talks with parents and guardians and strengthening community structures. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Participatory monitoring and evaluation meetings are being done to assess the progress of the project with the project beneficiaries • Conducting mid term review, quarterly meetings with district and local levels beneficiaries and stakeholders such as District Executive Committees, traditional leaders, women, girls and boys. • Participatory project planning meetings with beneficiaries and stakeholders. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

13. RESULTS • Grassroots Movement for Health and Development conducted a consultative meeting on minimum marriage age with community leaders and stakeholders. Through these consultative meetings a girl of 13 years old from Kasiya in Lilongwe who was forced to marry an already married man was withdrawn from marriage through a community based task force and she is now back to school. • EVIDENCE. In Malawi there is need to align the Constitution and the laws governing marriage with the provisions in the CRC, African Union Protocol Women’s Rights, SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and Maputo Plan of Action 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

14. Working with civil society • GMHD works closely with following organizations: • Public sectors (Ministries of Health, Education, Gender) • Civil Society Organizations (NGO Gender Coordination Network, Youth Empowerment and Civic Education, and SAfAIDS) • Development Partners – UNSECO, UN Women, UNICEF • EVIDENCE: In 2012 GMHD organized a national meeting with civil society organizations on child marriages and un safe abortion among girls. The meeting discussed about child marriages and un safe abortion in Malawi. “We commend the recommendable work GMHD is doing by organizing such very important meetings with other civil societies” - says Mr. Lucky Mbewe, Centre for Youth Empowerment and Civic Education, Executive Director. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

15. Working with communities The GMHD organizes community dialogue session meetings with communities to discuss issues that affect children and girls on sexual reproductive health and rights through focus group discussions. Community leaders and other influential people take a leading role on reducing cases of child marriages. GMHD provides a conducive platform for communities to discuss and take action on issues affecting girls well being and advancement through Community Dialogue Sessions. EVIDENCE: Through a community dialogue session that was conducted at Kasiya in Lilongwe in 2008 on Go Back to School, a girl by the name of Lestina Bezai was encouraged to go back to school to start where she had stopped (std 7). She passed her standard 8 exams and was selected to Kasiya Community Day Secondary School. She is now in form 4 and she is very grateful to this initiative. Further, Mrs. Charity Phalula of Kasiya Community Day Secondary School a member of the Parent Teacher’s Association has also commended the initiative by GMHD. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

16. Working with the media GMHD engages media in its activities as a tool for advocacy and sharing of information and knowledge with the general public and stakeholders. GMHD organized a workshop for media team on how they can write and promote stories of SRHR and child rights. National Media Institute for Southern Africa (NAMISA) was involved in facilitation of the activity. There is now an increase of information among communities about child marriage and SRHR services. EVIDENCE: GMHD works with ZODIAK Broadcasting Station, Radio Maria, MIJ FM, JOY Radio, Malawi Broadcasting Cooperation, Star FM, Daily Times News Paper and Nation News paper 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

17. Capacity building Through Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) program, GMHD organized a community leaders’ advocacy training on ending child marriages in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chulu in Kasungu district. The training aimed at improving knowledge of local leaders on existing laws and policies on Child rights in the country and share best practices in combating child marriages. This provided an opportunity to identify capacity gaps at community level on child rights issues. EVIDENCE: The Traditional Authority Chulu, Mr. Hastings Kachingwe stated that: “The training has brought light to us in terms of highlighting the effects of child marriages, and as of now, we are set to establish by-laws that aim at combating this practice. I personally be the focal person of the process. For any follow ups; please consult me directly. It is good that the GMHD decided to work with traditional leaders to address girl child marriages in our communities”. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

18. LESSON LEARNED AND INNOVATION • Community leaders are essential tool for promoting girls education and reducing cases of child abuse to children and access of education services for example retention rate in schools • Greater Involvement of girls can effectively reduce the cases of unwanted pregnancies among girls • Involvement of girl child peer is very effective for promoting access to education at community levels by girls and teen mothers • Role modeling is an effective tool for increasing the number of girls accessing education and thereby reducing teen pregnancies • Capacity building of girls on SRHR including HIV and AIDS should be part of their socialization process.

19. LEARNING AND SHARING WITH PARTNERS • Partnership and networking with civil society organizations, youth and community based organizations is an important aspect for sustainability of the program and advancement of a girl child • IEC interventions developed by different partners are a good tool to motivate communities for positive behavior change on SRHR • Involvement of peer educators is an important strategy to reduce cases of girls school drop out in the community. • Referral system can work effectively if various organizations are involved on protocols community interventions for example girls’ retention rate and withdrawals from marriages 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

20. SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION • Community participation and ownership in program planning and delivery are effective tools for sustaining community based programs. • Continued involvement of community leaders will sustain girls in schools and reduce teen pregnancies • Institutionalize best practices of the program in the district development and implementation plans under the health sector 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

21. KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2014 • Ensure that program interventions are institutionalized in the district implementation plans through consultations and collaboration with district executive committee. • Scale up the program interventions within the current districts and introduce the interventions in the other district in the country • Improve partnership, networking and collaboration with public sectors and civil society organizations active in child education and empowerment. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

22. BANNERS FOR GIRL CHILD COMMEMORATION DAY

23. COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AND ROLE MODELS

24. PEER EDUCATORS AT WORK

25. PEER EDUCATORS

26. A PEER EDUCATOR AND DRAMA ON EARLY PREGNACY