Poverty escalates child labour in Mchinji

High levels of poverty are reportedly fueling cases of school drop out and child labor in Mchinji district.

Mchinji District Principal Education Officer, Samson Kawiya Phiri disclosed this during the AGE Africa 2023 all scholars retreat event in the district held under the theme “Shaping the future: Creating Young Sustainable Entrepreneurs.”

Phiri observed that many students are dropping out of school as parents are failing to support them with school fees, forcing them into early marriages and child labor.

Mchinji South lawmaker Agnes Mkusankhoma and Mchinji Director of Admistration Raymond Nkhonya said only K5 million allocated in Constituency Development Fund-CDF and one percent of council total bubget is allocated to assist needy children.

The duo commended AGE Africa for the scholarship program and called on other organisations to borrow a leaf.

They stressed this will assist in giving opportunities to a large number of students to acquire their studies and beecome responsible citizens.

AGE Africa Country Director Ulanda Mtamba disclosed they intend to expand the scholarship program to bail out students in the central region of Malawi after observing that most students were dropping out of school due to poverty cycle in their families.

With funding from Philip Morris International, AGE Africa has embarked on the Malawi End to End program in 6 Traditional Authorities which has this year 16 scholars and over 700 students under CHAT initiative with an aim of keeping girls and boys in schools.