By Paul Madise

Lilongwe, May 12, Mana: The newly elected Executive Director of Ladies in Tertiary Education (LAITE), Esther Bonyonga, has expressed her full commitment to the cause and has called for multi-stakeholder collaboration within the gender equality community to ensure the Young Feminist Movement (YFM) is firmly grounded as it embarks on its bold journey to advance gender justice in the country.

The development follows stakeholders’ engagement meeting held on Saturday at Cross-Roads Hotel in Lilongwe, which attracted young feminists network including Ms. Letty Chiwara, Country Representative of UN Women Malawi, and Her Excellency Ingrid Marie Mikelsen, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Monday, Bonyonga acknowledged the continued grapple with deeply rooted gender inequalities that affect girls and women in the country underscoring the movement`s determination to challenge these structures aiming at build a society where the rights, dignity, and voices of women and girls are non-negotiable.

“We aim to be a strong voice for the voiceless, and we will push for policy reforms that protect and empower women, we will leverage digital spaces to amplify feminist narratives and ensure that no woman or girl is left behind. We understand that transformation requires partnerships, and we are ready to collaborate across sectors to achieve our goals. A feminist leader must deliver, and that is our pledge,” she explained.

United Nations (UN) Women Country Director Letty Chiwara expressed the organization`s commitment to join efforts with Malawi`s Young Feminist Movement to fight for gender equality in Malawi.

During the Executive Committee Elections held on Saturday, several young leaders were appointed to key positions, including the Vice Chairperson of the Kawale Feminist Hub (under ActionAid Malawi), as well as roles within the Secretariat from the Young Feminist Network and the Monitoring & Advocacy Lead from the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)

In a historic show of unity and leadership, several young feminist-led organizations across Malawi came together to form the Young Feminist Movement, a collective platform dedicated to amplifying youth feminist voices in the ongoing fight against gender inequality.