Chikondi's personal message on girls' education

Chikondi

"Hello my name is Chikondi. I am 16 years old, from Malawi and I am currently doing the last year of secondary school. I am here because I believe children should have a voice and I am one of the representatives of the Young People's Commission for Africa (YPCfA). The YPCfA was a project set up by Plan that run for six months and linked 50 schools in Africa and the UK.

"5,000 students took part. Using the internet, we debated on some of the issues affecting children in Africa. We then voted on what we thought were the ten most important ones. The issues we are going to highlight are HIV/AIDS and education, which were voted the most important during the YPCfA project.

"I represent thousands of African children and would like to present our recommendations on Africa's future to you. I consider myself privileged in comparison to many African girls because I have had access to an education from primary school to secondary school and I have a chance to go to university.

"You as women who are educated know the importance of education, especially for girls, and you also know that we are living in times where it should be relatively simple for girls to go to school.

"However, there are many girls in Africa barred from this opportunity. For example, the parents of one of my friends died from AIDS and the male side of the family took all their possessions leaving her with nothing. As it is the case with most orphans, she took to the streets in order to survive and make a living. She ended up in the prostitution business, making her chances of continuing education slimmer and slimmer.

"This is not the only example I have seen. Other girls are barred from education because of traditional practice in the lower classes in Malawi, whereby a family gives their daughter as a second wife to their son-in-law as a token of appreciation.

"Teenage pregnancies are also a big problem in Malawi. I believe if education was made compulsory and if governments provided necessary materials such as books and uniforms then many more girls would get the same opportunity that you and I have.

"Now I present Gordon, who is also a representative of the YPCfA from Kenya."