Plan Malawi, AWOME Northern Chapter Deliver Petition for Gender Equality and Increased Access to Digital Technology

Malawi-Plan Malawi and the Association of Women in the Media (AWOME) Northern Chapter delivered a petition on March 8, 2023, at the District Commissioner's office, demanding equal rights between women and men in Malawi, writes Tionge Hara.

With this year's theme, "Digital for All: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality," the women emphasized the need for increased participation of both genders in science and technology careers.

International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8th to recognize women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and to call for action to strengthen gender equality and accelerate women's empowerment.

The event brings together women from various digital technology sectors to celebrate their achievements and inspire young girls in secondary schools.

During the event, the women presented a petition to the Ministry of Education to increase access to digital technology in secondary schools by constructing more computer science laboratories.

The District Council's representative, Dr Naomi Mulwafu, received the petition and promised to direct it to the appropriate office.

Silence Banda, the Programs Officer for Plan Malawi in the Northern region, expressed satisfaction with the way Dr Mulwafu received the petition and promised to forward it to the right officials, as she is also a woman.

Martha Chirambo, the coordinator for AWOME's Northern Chapter, thanked Plan Malawi for involving them in the event and encouraged women and girls to pursue careers in ICT and science, emphasizing that there is no job exclusively for men.

The event was commemorated by female officers from the Malawi Police Service and Malawi Prisons.

The celebration concluded with a football match at Katoto secondary school ground between CY sisters and MK sisters, with the former winning 2-0.