Mangoch, Malawi - Growing up, Tuweni* and her sister didn’t have it easy. Their father left the family when they were kids. Poverty marred their childhood as their mother struggled to provide for the two siblings.
The weight of their circumstances pressed heavily on young Tuweni, prompting her to leave school at just eleven.
"I wanted to help my mother," she recounted.
Despite her efforts, the meagre earnings from odd jobs around the village did little to lift the burden of their need. By the age of seventeen, Tuweni's gaze turned towards marriage as a means of escape from the clutches of poverty.
Yet, within the confines of her village, suitable suitors were as scarce. None of the interested parties could offer the future she longed for. It was on a day like any other, while returning from the market, that fate intervened in the form of a stranger.
"He asked my name and where I stayed," Tuweni remembers, marking the moment their paths intertwined.
Home alone, with her mother away and her heart open, Tuweni fell deeply for the stranger. His promises of love and a swift proposal ensnared her heart.
"He seemed to be in love with me and asked if we could get married right away," she recounts.
Without a backward glance, she departed from her mother's home, stepping into a journey that would lead her far from everything she knew. Their passage took them to the border of Mozambique and beyond, to a place named Majuni.
A Fateful Encounter
Soon after arriving at Majuni, Tuweni started sensing that something was wrong. Her gut feeling was rights. Her husband to be started showing his true colours. he bluntly told Tuweni that he wasn’t in love, but only looking for a farm hand.
Confused and scared, Tuweni was left alone in the middle of a huge maize field. Her shelter was a dilapidated straw house. And this was going to be her home for the coming three months.
“The house literally had no roof,” recalled Tuweni with tears welling in her eyes. “The man told me that if I worked hard, I will be getting more food. But I only got a 10 litre of maize meal every month. Nothing else.”
Meanwhile, back in the village, Tuweni's mother, Ms. Salimu, becomes a figure of worry, her heart heavy with the absence of her daughter. The news of Tuweni's departure with a stranger sends her on a desperate quest for answers, clinging to the hope of her safe return.
Escape and Reunion
Salvation came unexpectedly for Tuweni in Mozambique, through a unexpected encounter with a passer-by who spoke her language. Seizing the opportunity, she reached out to her mother.
"I borrowed his phone and called my mother," says Tuweni.
The joy of connecting with her mother sparked hope in her darkest hour. Tuweni begged for transport money, and her mother promised to send it as soon as possible. The community rallied around Ms. Salimu, providing her with some extra cash for Tuweni's return.
The night before her arrival was fraught with anxiety for Ms. Salimu, who feared she might never see her daughter again. Tuweni's homecoming was bittersweet for her mother.
Ms. Salimu explains:
I could barely recognize her. She was so thin.
From Survivor to Advocate
Emerging from this harrowing experience, Tuweni found a new purpose with the Malengawede Youth Group, supported by UNFPA through the Peace Building and Conflict Prevention project. The project which is funded by the Secretary General Peace Building Fund aims to strengthens capabilities to mitigate and respond to real and potential future conflict in border districts.
This includes supporting community networks, including women and youths, increasing their engagement in conflict identification, mitigation, and prevention, strengthening border security and counter-terrorism management, and increasing the capacity of the national peace architecture.
Tuweni’s journey from survivor to advocate for girls' rights has been nothing short of transformative. She now stands as a voice against human trafficking, her story a powerful testament to the dangers lurking beyond the familiar.
Among those she has touched is Marium Leonard, a young woman who nearly fell into the same trap.
"I immediately changed my mind when I heard of her experience," Marium states, inspired by Tuweni to refocus on her education.
Kandulu village is not far from the border with Mozambique. And its proximity has exposed so many young people to human trafficking to that country. Both girls and boys have fallen victim to human trafficking.
Through outreach sessions, Tuweni and her colleagues from the youth group are working with communities to raise awareness on the issue.
“Although the practice is still going on, we are working with local chiefs and the police to ensure that those are caught doing the malpractice face the law,” says Marium Siadi, who is the chairperson of Malengawede Youth Group.
*Names have been changed.
Joseph Scott, Communications Analyst
