BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Plan Malawi International has crowned the First Lady Monica Chakwera as Ambassador for ending child marriages.
The child focused humanitarian organisation unveiled Chakwera for the role during this year’s national commemorations of the International Day of the Girl Child, which falls on October 11.
In her acceptance speech at the BICC in Lilongwe on Friday, the First Lady committed to work with various stakeholders in ending child marriages in the country.
Plan Malawi also unveiled Mary Chilima, spouse to Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima, as Ambassador for ending cyber bullying and online harassment.
The group has further appointed Speaker for the national Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara and her deputies Madalitso Kazombo and Aisha Adams as ambassadors to champion Girl Child education in Malawi.
This year’s theme for the commemoration is ‘My Voice, Our Equal Future’.
I n her acceptance speech, Chakwera said it was saddening that women, who are in majority, continue to struggle to make a breakthrough in almost all sectors of life.
She said this is because majority of women do not have adequate education to enable them compete with their male counterparts.
“I have joined the cause [eliminating child marriages] because I have seen that there are less educated women in this country although they are in majority. My personal commitment comes from my personal experience. I will commit to work together with other stakeholders in ensuring that all girls are educated,” she said.
She added: “My mom was not educated but at her level, she made sure we got educated. She worked so hard and supporters us all the way. Let’s join forces and promote a girl child to go school no matter the circumstances.”
Her remarks come few days after President Lazarus Chakwera said that Malawi has inadequate qualified females.
Chakwera, who used to criticize the immediate past President Peter Mutharika for failing to include more women in leadership positions, startled Malawians on when he said gender balance in his recent appointments could not be achieved because of inadequate qualified females.
He made the remarks at Kamuzu Palace when he was cerebrating 100 days in office since he assumed power after defeating Mutharika in the Court sanctioned election on June 23, 2020.
“The hiring of boards of directors for dozens of parastatals was not just to fill space,” said Chakwera.
He said gender balance could not be achieved because of inadequate qualified females.
The President said the legal instruments on picking boards did not allow just to handpick any female into the boards, but being dependent on qualifications.
To make it clear that he does not see qualified females, Chakwera further asked the general public to bring forward a list of capable women who they feel can be included in different positions in government departments.
He was responding to a question on the appointment of boards in relation to women representation, which is below the requirement under the Gender Equality Act.