Tionge Mtambo with some of the 18 girls from Tondola Primary School she cares for [Photo courtesy of Tionge Mtambo]
When Tionge Mtambo learned at the age of 15 that she was being married off to a 46-year-old polygamous man in Tanzania, who had two other wives, she was unsure how to react.
“That night I could not sleep,” Mtambo now, 29, recalled. “I was troubled because I wanted to continue with my education and become a nurse.”
That choice, however, was not hers to make. Her paternal grandmother and uncles at Kapanda village, T/A Mwabulambya in Chitipa arranged the marriage while her mother was away and her father died in 1998.
Soon after, Mtambo was sent to Tanzania where upon arrival, she was welcomed by elderly women who guided her through marriage counselling. Determined to turn her life around, weeks later she escaped from the marriage, walking day and night to return home. When she arrived in Chitipa, she met a woman who provided her with transport fare to her mother’s village — after she had explained to the woman what she went through.
Mtambo resumed her education, with the help of a well-wisher she later met in the district. Her worst nightmare was the failure to complete her secondary education and fulfil her life goals.
After enduring the pain of her child marriage experience, Mtambo vowed to actively advocate for girls’ education in Kapanda and it dawned on her that she now wanted to become an educator, putting behind the dreams she once had of becoming a nurse.
“Believing in the importance of girl child education and its impact on society gives me a sense of purpose and motivation,” she said.
Mtambo said being one of the victims of child marriage; she believes that girls across the nation should be encouraged and motivated to finish their education first before getting married.
Statistics in Malawi show that about 46 per cent of girls are married off before their 18th birthday, and nine per cent before reaching 15, according to a 2020 UNICEF report.
Ministry of Education records show that Chitipa District has the highest prevalence rate of early marriages in the Northern Region. A study on budget scoping for ending child marriages by UNICEF and the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare also revealed that school completion in the district is another big problem, owing to child marriages, lack of parental care, teen pregnancies and child trafficking to neighbouring Tanzania and Zambia. The ministry’s records further show that 67 per cent do not complete primary, 77 per cent do not complete junior secondary education, and 85 per cent do not complete senior secondary education in the country.
“I joined the teaching profession to be closer to girls, give them hope and inspire them to work hard in class to realise their potential,” said Mtambo.
Her journey of becoming a teacher began when she enrolled at Karonga Teachers’ Training College in 2017, earning a teaching certificate. She is currently in her first year at the Catholic University of Malawi where she is studying for her undergraduate degree in education majoring in languages.
There are some people out there who, in their warped thinking, regard the teaching profession as an area for those who pulled an average performance during secondary school education and failed to pursue a career in notable and respectable fields such as medicine, company management or any other white collar jobs. The scenario is much worse if one is a primary school teacher.
But for Mtambo, who is now the Headteacher at Tondola Primary School in Chitipa District, teaching is not just a mere job to get a salary. To her, teaching is a calling and a way of life.
When she was posted at Nahayondo Full Primary School in the district in 2020, the school had only five teachers against eight classes. She was assigned Standard 8 class which had 36 learners. She was teaching all nine subjects for Standard 8.
“When I was told to teach all subjects, I did not take it as a punishment but I wholeheartedly accepted the challenge,” she said.
At the end of that academic year, all her 36 learners passed their national examinations and were selected to various secondary schools, representing a 100 percent pass rate.
As part of motivating her learners, Mtambo used part of her monthly salary on them and even went on to take learners into her house, providing them with all necessary needs befitting a boarding school facility.
Currently, she is housing 18 girls from Tondola Primary School. Due to her relentless activism about education for girls and ending early marriages, she was awarded a certificate by World Vision Malawi in 2022 as one of the outstanding teachers in the country and promoted to head Tondola Primary School by the Ministry of Education.
Esther Sibale, 15, is one of the 18 girls who has been under the care of Mtambo. She nearly dropped out of school while in Standard 6 due to family hardships.
Living with her brothers, Sibale supported her family through menial jobs, which took a toll on her school performance. Recognising her struggle, Mtambo brought Sibale into her home and provided financial support until she completed her primary education.
Last month, Sibale sat for her Junior Certificate of Education exams. She dreams of becoming a medical doctor.
For Clement Nyirenda, the Chief Education Officer for Chitipa District, Mtambo’s work is nothing short of remarkable and exceptional.
“Her commitment to her students’ learning and well-being is evident in everything she does,” Nyirenda said.
He further said Mtambo has shown genuine care and compassion for her students by working tirelessly to improve her teaching methods and stay updated on best practices.
According to Nyirenda, her passion, expertise, and selflessness make her an outstanding teacher and a role model in her community. “She truly embodies the spirit of excellence in education,” he added.
“The recognition of my hard work, inspires me to do more activism,” said Mtambo. To this effect, she founded Girl Rise Initiative Malawi, a local nonprofit that seeks to look after the welfare of girls such as providing them with school uniforms, learning materials and sanitary pads to encourage them to stay in school.
Looking ahead, Mtambo plans to start advocating for policy changes in education, and social justice initiatives that impact students and communities.
By Alufisha Fischer
