Facts and Figures
Malawi is a small landlocked country in southeast Africa nestled between Tanzania and Mozambique . Namitembo is in Zomba district. It is rural with poor road access. In the rainy season, only four by four vehicles have a chance of getting through the precarious mountain road. Bridges are often washed away. In Namitembo there are two secondary schools to cater for a school population of 9,000. In form 4 the boys outnumber girls at 4:1. Out of 198 pupils, only 47 are girls.
Only 24% of women in the 20-24 year old age group have attended secondary school of higher. Rural children are more likely to drop out of school than their urban counterparts.
This happens because of lack of money to pay school fees, lack of motivation, walking distances to school, lack of food, early marriage and childbirth and having to work in their home or the fields.
Whilst primary school is free, secondary school fees are not.
| FACT: |
Female literacy is 62% |
FACT: |
Most girls do not finish secondary education |
FACT: |
Girls are dropping out of school because of lack of funds, early marriage and pregnancy. |
| FACT: |
HIV infection is 4 to 6 times higher in females than in their male counterparts in 15-24 age group. |
| FACT: |
Females suffer disproportionately from domestic violence, inequality in the work place, property grabbing and poverty |
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