International Day of the Girl Child: Mounina's story

As a result of this, staff from Tearfund’s local partner spent time speaking with young Mounina and discussing with her what the consequences of early marriage might be for her in the short, medium and long term. After considering all of the information, Mounina changed her mind and decided that she wanted to continue her schooling. Having understood the advantages of school for a girl, she committed herself to working hard and she obtained her DEF (Diploma of Fundamental Study) that same year. She then followed on with high school, where she obtained her baccalaureate in 2020, and currently she is doing a university degree in Marketing and Communication.

Raising awareness to end child marriage

Since 2017, when Mounina’s mother first came into contact with Tearfund’s local partner, both Mounina and her mother have been involved in conducting awareness activities on early and forced marriages in their neighbourhood and at school and continue to have a good relationship with APSM.

Mounina says she is thankful to God and to her parents – particularly to her mother for setting the example by standing her ground in the face of multiple pressures. She says, ‘at the beginning I did not understand, but she [Mounina's mother] persevered despite the criticism, the scorn, the sleepless nights.’ Mounina is also grateful to APSM and Tearfund. She says, ‘They took me from the wrong path to the right one. I thank them for the good advice, guidance and wise words. Thanks to them, I am proud of myself today. However, my heart aches when I meet some of my former classmates who entered into early marriage and already have two or three children and have all the difficulties of supporting themselves and their children.’

The consequences of child marriage

The UN reports that up to 10 million girls are at risk of child marriage every year.

Child marriage robs girls of the power to make decisions about their lives, disrupting their education and making them more vulnerable to violence and abuse. It is also often accompanied by early and frequent pregnancy and childbirth, which results in higher than average rates of death in both mothers and infants.

Mounina says she prays for many other girls, like her, ‘to be saved from early marriage’.

Plans for hope and a future for girls 

‘In the months to come,’ she tells us, ‘I plan to create a Youth Association in Kayes to fight against illegal immigration of young people, SGBV in general and the practice of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) in particular.’

[Read more here about the wider issue of FGM/C]

‘In addition to these projects, I want to encourage youth entrepreneurship for the development and fulfilment of young people in the region of Kayes. The winner [Miss Mali] and the second princess and I are working together to establish a joint project for the development of young girls.’

Mounina’s mother is, understandably, proud of her daughter. She says, ‘I am a happy and honoured mother. I have received so many calls from everywhere, from inside and outside to congratulate me. This is the place for me to thank APSM and Tearfund… My heartfelt appeal to parents is to ask them to let their girls study and not to give them away early in marriage, but rather to encourage them to work well at school.’

*Journey to Healing is a survivor-centred approach which was co-developed with survivors of SGBV. It is a peer-to-peer support group model and creates a supportive environment for healing which acknowledges and respects survivors’ agency, autonomy and decision-making potential. It creates safe spaces for survivors to speak out and overcome trauma: a journey from fear to courage, from self-doubt to confidence about their future.