Tag Archives: Africa

Aug
15
2015

Woman chief in Mawali, Africa, bans child marriages and send the kids back to school

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Child marriages annuled Malawi

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.”

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com

Jun
17
2015

Nigerian chicken pie

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Makes 15 medium sized yummy Chicken Pies

Nigerian Chicken Pie Filling:

•300g of minced chicken breast

•a medium-sized onion

•a little garlic/garlic powder(optional)

•2 medium-sized carrots

•2 medium-sized Irish potatoes

•a cooking spoonful of Vegetable Oil

•Seasoning of choice (but preferably)-bouillon cubes (Maggi / Knorr cubes), a teaspoon of thyme, a teaspoon of curry

•2 tablespoons of plain flour(to make a binder)

•Cool water — 200ml

•Salt — to taste

Nigerian Chicken Pie Dough:

•Plain Flour — 500g

•Baking Powder — 1 teaspoon

•Salt — 3\4 teaspoon(a big pinch)

•Margarine — 200g

•CoolWater – about 75 ml

 

Mar
03
2015

Because I am a girl… I deserve an education!

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This is what Michelle Obama has to say about this program:

“Right now, 62 million girls across the globe are not in school. These girls are our future doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs – they are the dreamers and visionaries who could change the world as we know it if they just had the chance to get the education they need.

This issue is personal for me, because I see myself in these girls. I see my daughters in these girls. And I refuse to just sit back and accept the barriers that keep them from realizing their boundless promise.

That is why I am thrilled to announce that we’re expanding our efforts to “Let Girls Learn” with a new, community-focused girls’ education initiative across the globe. Through this new effort, we’ll be collaborating with the Peace Corps to support hundreds of new community projects – from building school libraries to creating girls’ technology camps – to help girls go to school and stay in school.”

via Because I Am A Girl on Vimeo.

Jun
01
2014

Maasai women in Kenya try to stop ritual excision

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Maasai-young-girls

52 young girls of a Maasai village, including the chief’s daughters, recently took part in a new ritual (the Alternative Rites of Passage). They did not have to suffer the pains of excision, as their older sisters and mothers had. Instead, they had a new ceremony: they stayed for two days in their classroom, wearing traditional black dresses and colorful crowns, with three women who talked to them about what being a woman means.

Female circumcision, widely known as female genital mutilation, is illegal in Kenya and is punishable by law, yet it is still practiced in many villages. Many regions in Africa and some countries in Asia and the Middle East widely practice the ritualistic procedure.

Traditionally, young women who had not yet been circumcised were rejected in their villages. The women who had endured the procedure were considered acceptable members of society and suitable for marriage.

Instruments traditionally used to perform the cut are sharp metal tools, knives, and other crude objects, and the procedure is usually not carried out by trained medical professionals. The effects of excision often bring on medical complications, going from local infection to death.

The physical pain resulting from the practice has immeasurable psychological impact on these young girls.

The scars left by the cutting often leads to complications later when women give birth, causing sharp pains, rips and often making a caesarean section necessary.

As the suffering of young women continues to surface across the globe, studies and personal opinion continue to find no sensible reason for female circumcision, considering it to be an act of violence against women.

It is estimated that 100 million–140 million women and girls have already been subjected to some form of female genital mutilation.

“Female mutilation is against the law, but people are still dying from it,” said Ikoluba, a volunteer for the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation in New York City. “Just earlier this year, one girl died from the bleeding and her sister ran away.” She herself was excised when she was 13 years old. “I wanted to run away, but my mother assured me that I should not be scared. She said she would hold my hand and that I would be okay”. “I felt as if I were going to die. It was very painful to urinate after the cutting. I had infections and fever and lots of nightmares.”

If you want to read more, read the full article here: The Epoch Times.