NORTHERN PROVINCE-Kasama
Over 5,000 children in Mbala and Mpulungu districts of Northern Province will benefit from a project aimed at ending child marriages.
The project, implemented by Access to Health Zambia with support from UNICEF, will provide children with access to various sporting activities to discourage early marriages.
During a courtesy call on Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mr. Bernard Mpundu, Business Development and Marketing Manager Henry Mushoka outlined the project’s objectives stating that the organization is keen to ensure that children remain in school and see that education can be a value.
“We’ve aligned activities such as the ‘steppingstone’ initiative, creating safe spaces for adolescent girls and young women to discuss sexual education,” he said.
Mr. Mushoka said the project will run for 12 months, focusing on keeping children in school and demonstrating the value of education.
And Northern Province Permanent Secretary Mr. Bernard Mpundu emphasized the importance of directly engaging children in the fight against child marriages.
“In rural areas, it’s common to find 13- or 14-year-old children with children of their own,” he noted.
Mr. Mpundu further urged parents to discuss sexual education with their children, expressing surprise that some parents struggle with this conversation.
“How do you expect those people that fear to talk to their children to change the narrative, it is impossible, so probably we target wrong people, schools are more important than any group, said the Permanent Secretary”.
Meanwhile Ministry of Community Development and Social Services Senior Social Welfare Officer Tabitha Chilongo welcomed the project, citing the enactment of the Child’s Act Code Bill as a crucial step in criminalizing child marriage offenders.
She said the project demonstrates stakeholders’ commitment to addressing child marriages, particularly in rural areas.
Issued by:
Sandra Mulenga (Miss)
Northern Province Principal Public Relations Officer.
