Malawi: The Last Girl Standing - How One Teenager Fought Poverty to Stay in School
[Nyasa Times] Duana Muhammad, 17, reveals heartbreaking reality of watching classmates drop out and marry as young as 13 -- while she battled on through repeated years and grinding poverty
Duana Muhammad, a 17-year-old from Mangochi, shared her harrowing experience of teenage poverty and the struggles of staying in school. As one of the only girls in her year to reach Standard 8, she stood out amidst her classmates who dropped out and married young. The young activist recounted her repeated attempts to stay in school, beginning with being forced to repeat Standard One in 2016 and later repeating Standard Four due to financial constraints.
Despite these setbacks, Muhammad remained determined, eventually sitting her final exams and achieving her goal. She expressed her ambition to become a doctor, praising free education while urging parents to support children in staying in school instead of marrying them off early. Muhammad's presentation at the 2026 National Youth Summit in Lilongwe highlighted the ongoing need to remove barriers to education for Malawi's youth, particularly girls, and emphasized the importance of continued efforts to ensure every child's opportunity to complete their education.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
