ABOUT TIMVENI

CHILD & YOUTH MEDIA ORGANIZATION

WHO WE ARE

Timveni Child and Youth Media Organisation (commonly known as just Timveni) was established to amplify the voices of children and young people in Malawi. Launched in 2011, Timveni uses radio and Television as a platform where children and youths express their views, sharpen their talents and expose their skills at a time when the mainstream media is dominated by adult-focused content that bypassed the views of children and young people.

Over a period of time, Timveni has developed and evolved into a fully-fledged media house equipped with the staff and technology to develop, produce and broadcast powerful media content for purposes of advocacy, empowerment, awareness and entertainment.

Timveni aims at providing a platform through TV and Radio, for children and young people to actively engage duty bearers on issues that affect them.

OUR AREAS OF FOCUS

In its current strategic plan, Timveniis focusing on Youth Governance. Timveni would like to see young people have influence in society and being equal actors with the ability and opportunity to take development into their own hands. Timveni would like to see the following outcome to achieve the objectives of its strategic plan

1. Youth and Children taking collective civic action for sustainable change
2. Youth participating in decision making as equal partners

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WHAT WE DO

For Timveni to achieve its strategic objectives, two things have to exist. Empowerment of young people children as well as an enabling environment. Timveni is achieving these by ensuring that;

1. Young people and children have the necessary motivation, skills and competencies for civic engagement
2. Young people and children have the necessary information and literacy to engage duty bearers as well as to make informed decisions
3. Young people are organized to exercise active citizenship
4. Opportunities and spaces exist for youth to participate in decision making
5. Policies exist to support youth civic engagement
6. Special measures to support the participation of marginalized young people and women
7. Leaders and institutions are motivated and understand the value of youth participation in governance
8. Youth have access to civic information including policy documents and have the ability to analyze and share with their fellow young people this information in youth-friendly versions

OUR VISION

Empowered children and young people of Malawi, fully enjoying their rights and competently participating in the national agenda.

- Timveni Research -
ROOT CAUSES OF CHILD MARRIAGES

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Poverty

Research has shown that child marriage is most common in the world’s poorest countries and is often concentrated among the poorest households within those countries. It is closely linked with poverty and low levels of economic development. In families with limited resources, child marriage is often seen as a way to provide their daughters future. Girls who marry young especially because of poverty are more likely to be poor and remain poor.

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Poor Access To Sexual Reproductive health Rights & Information

Child marriage is primarily driven by inequitable gender norms which deprive girls and young women of their sexual and reproductive rights and, limit their life choices. Teenage pregnancy acts as a driver of child marriage in contexts where pre-marital talk and sexual reproductive health information is a taboo. Child marriage is also a significant contributor to poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes for adolescent girls.

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Poor Access To Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Child marriage often leads to girls dropping out of school, which limits their ability to complete their education and also limits their access to information and education about SHHR. There is strong evidence demonstrating positive relationship between increased girls’ education and improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes including higher age of marriage, greater contraceptive use and increased use of health services. Comprehensive sexuality education provides girls and boys with accurate information about sexual reproductive health, enabling them to develop the critical life skill needs to make health, safe choices which reduce the risky sexual behaviours that lead to unintended pregnancy and sexual transmitted infections.

Comprehensive sexuality education by adolescents in many parts of the country is still considered a taboo and is also scarcely discussed at school.

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Timveni therefore provides an alternative platform where Comprehensive sexuality education is discussed.

Timveni in partnership with different organizations including Plan International Malawi has an audience of young people through the many radio listening clubs it has established across the country.

Timveni also boosts of young subject matter specialists in form of radio hosts as well as key government technicians in ASRHA who are always handy to interact with young people both on radio and in their communities.

Using a social enterprise business model, Timveni re-invest all its revenue back into the organization to support its operations and NGO work.