By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, September 18, Mana: Kasungu District Council Chairperson, Mwambilaso Mbedza, has hailed Plan Malawi International for promoting girls' education and ensuring that they are protected against elements of violence and abuse.

Mbedza was speaking on Tuesday in Kasungu when Plan Malawi International announced the phasing of a project called Kulimbikitsa Ufulu ndi Umoyo wa Achinyamata (KUUWA) which was designed to help reduce early pregnancies and bring girls back to school.

"We applaud Plan Malawi for this project which has significantly helped to promote education, especially that of the girl child. We cannot discuss achieving national development if we do not fight the obstacles hindering girls' education.

 "Through the KUUWA project there has been a tremendous reduction in teenage pregnancies and this is good news to us as a district and for Plan Malawi, this is a job well done," Mbedza said.

Director of Programmes for Plan Malawi International, Janet Chidothi said the phasing out of the KUUWA project was not the end of the road but rather the start of a new chapter, calling on authorities to ensure the efforts are sustained.

"As the project phases out, we are glad to note that a good number of girls have benefited as knowledge of income-generating activities has been imparted to them and some have been provided a chance to continue with their studies, which is a good step towards achieving development.

"We are grateful to all partners who were managing this programme together. The collaboration has been fruitful in that there has been a significant reduction in teenage pregnancies since the project started in 2019," Chidothi said.

One of the project's beneficiaries, Chikondi Chantchonda, advised girls who got pregnant to consider going back to school to continue chasing their dreams.

KUUWA project started in 2019 and has phased out this year, 2024.