MMG's English blog at PMCurie

As Malawi’s Nyasa Times reports, in April, the African nation Malawi raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old. One might wonder, however, “What about the legions of underage children who were legally wed before the law took effect?

Well, one of the regional chiefs in Malawi – an elder woman who goes by the name Inkosi Kachindamoto – annulled the marriages of more than 300 youth in her district and sent them back to school.

In addition, she fired several village heads who had sanctioned the unions.

Child advocates around the world cheered on the effort to encourage girl education and abolish early marriages as soon as the news circulated.

Knowing the value education has in helping to empower citizens and strengthen the mind, the Senior chief terminated 330 marriages, of which 175 were girl-wives and 155 were boy-fathers. Those chldren were sent to school instead.

Said 18-year-old Malawian Memory Banda to The Guardian:

“Marriage is often the end for girls like me. But if our leaders will invest in us and give us the chance to be educated, we will become women who create a better society for everyone.”