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Thirteen year old Mtisunge Kamphale has pleaded with international organizations attending the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States to do all they can to assist a girl child in Africa, and Malawi in particular to overcome many challenges facing them in their quest for education.
Mtisunge who is a form one student at Mulunguzi Community Day Secondary School in Blantyre, Malawi made the plea in New York when she addressed a side meeting on Every Woman Every Child at the UN headquarters organized by the movement to highlight problems women and children face for them to survive hardship in their respective countries.
She told the meeting which was attended by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and other world leaders including Malawi’s President Professor Peter Mutharika that children in Malawi have numerous challenges preventing them from continuing with their education.
“Many children in Africa especially Malawi have the will to proceed with further education but usually they are besieged by many challenges which among them include early marriages, teenage pregnancies, poverty and civil strife,” she told the meeting as an African representative amid heavy applause.
She explained that given the necessary support the children would be able to continue with their education which is not the case at the moment since most of them are faced with the challenges resulting in their failure to continue with their studies.
Mtisunge who was among other six girls from other continents emphasized on the need for the world leaders to take advantage of their gathering during this year’s General Assembly at which leaders have adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals to exhaust all avenues aimed at putting a girls at a better place where they will be able grow into productive lives.
Speaking to Mana, Mtisunge expressed happiness that she was identified as an ambassador for girls in the African continent saying she was hopeful that she will take the message from the general assembly to many countries in the region and not only in Malawi. “It’s something I never imagined. To stand before world leaders and pass the message, I feel greatly humbled today,” she added.
During the gathering, Madame Getrude Mutharika, Malawi First Lady, made an instant response by declaring that government would make an immediate response to the appeal by embarking on programs aimed at addressing the plight of children and women in the country so that they lead comfortable lives.mana
