A tale of “Cinderella” and her brother

In Nkhata Bay, fishing, agriculture and tourism, are the basis for the livelihood of most households. Nkhata Bay is a district in northern Malawi on the shores of Lake Malawi, the country’s biggest lake and Africa’s third largest. However, like everywhere in Malawi, poverty, HIV and AIDS afflict the district leaving a trail of child vulnerability and orphan suffering.

By all standards, Wezi Kamanga is beautiful. Standing at about 168 cm, she is featherlike and radiant. This 18 year old, unfortunately, is a standard eight school drop-out whiling her days away hopelessly in Chief Kenneth Kamanga’s Kamoza village.

She passed her primary school examinations but was forced out of secondary school because, as an orphan, she could not afford to pay school fees.

“I could not afford to pay my school fees since I do not have both my parents to support me,” Wezi, now a mother of a two year old daughter, says.

After dropping out of school, she got sexually involved with the father of her daughter not knowing that he was already married.

“The man just used me and left for South Africa, leaving me when my daughter was only a few months old.” Initially, he sent some financial and material support for her and the child. This has since stopped.

Wezi has a brother, Watson. He is 20 years old and is currently struggling to finish secondary school at Mtetete Community Day Secondary School. Just like his sister, he cannot afford school fees.

“Since I am a girl, we decided that Watson goes to school, while I look after the household,” says Wezi.

Watson says his education has been on and off for years. “I go to school sometimes for one term then drop out to do menial jobs like gardening, molding bricks and fishing. From these, I earn between MK50 and MK100 ($0.30-0.60) a day.” Whatever he earns from these jobs goes to pay his school fees, buy clothes and support his sister and her daughter.

“It’s not easy. I know that I am not the only one in this situation in Malawi. I appeal to government and NGOs to come forward and rescue orphans like myself and other vulnerable children, helping us access education by removing these prohibitive fees and also by providing bursaries for OVCs in secondary schools for us to have easy access to education,” notes Watson, now in the final year of secondary education.