Theresa Kachindamoto: The Malawian Chief Who Made Ending Child Marriage Her Life’s Mission

Theresa Kachindamoto: The Malawian Chief Who Made Ending Child Marriage Her Life’s Mission

For more than two decades, Theresa Kachindamoto stood at the forefront of the fight against child marriage in Malawi, using the authority of traditional leadership to challenge practices that deprived girls of their childhood, education and future.

Born on 23 November 1958 in Dedza District, Malawi, Kachindamoto was the youngest of 12 children in a family with a long tradition of traditional leadership. Before becoming a chief, she spent 27 years working as a secretary at a college in Zomba, in southern Malawi. She was also a mother of five sons.

Her life changed in 2003, when she was selected to become Senior Chief of Dedza District, succeeding her late brother. Although she initially did not want to leave her job and return home, she accepted the responsibility and became Inkosi Kachindamoto VII, with traditional authority extending over a population of more than 900,000 people.

The moment that changed everything

After returning to her home district, Kachindamoto encountered a situation that deeply disturbed her: she met a 13-year-old girl who already had a baby. The girl’s husband, she discovered, was only 14.

The experience convinced Kachindamoto that she could not simply accept child marriage as part of tradition. She began campaigning for children—particularly girls—to remain in school rather than being pushed into marriage and early motherhood.

Her approach was direct. She persuaded the traditional leaders under her authority to abandon practices supporting early marriage and to dissolve existing child marriages.

Changing the rules from within

Rather than relying only on speeches and appeals to parents, Kachindamoto mobilised traditional institutions.

She secured an agreement from 50 sub-chiefs to prohibit child marriage within their areas and to annul existing unions involving children. When some local chiefs continued allowing the practice, she temporarily dismissed four of them until they agreed to enforce the new rules.

She also worked with parents, teachers, religious leaders, community organisations and NGOs to keep girls in school. In some cases, she helped find financial support for girls from poor families so that poverty would not force them out of education.

Her campaign was not without resistance. She faced opposition and even death threats, but continued insisting that girls should return to school.

“When girls are educated, everything is possible.” — Theresa Kachindamoto

Thousands of marriages annulled

Kachindamoto’s campaign grew dramatically over the years.

Early reports documented more than 850 child marriages annulled by 2016. By 2017, UN Women reported that the figure had surpassed 1,500, while later accounts put the number at approximately 3,500 child marriages annulled in her area of authority. In August 2025, the United Nations in Malawi said her leadership had helped annul more than 3,500 child marriages, enabling thousands of girls to return to school and reclaim their futures.

Her work also extended beyond ending marriages. She promoted education as one of the strongest tools for breaking the cycle of poverty that can push families toward early marriage.

Helping change Malawi’s law

Kachindamoto’s traditional leadership became part of a wider national movement for legal reform.

Malawi enacted the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act in 2015, which established 18 as the minimum marriage age. In February 2017, a constitutional amendment was adopted to reinforce the minimum age of marriage at 18 for both girls and boys, bringing the Constitution into alignment with the 2015 law.

Kachindamoto’s community-level activism complemented those national reforms by helping enforce the principle at the grassroots level.

Recognition around the world

Her determination earned international recognition.

In March 2017, she received a Leadership in Public Life Award from Vital Voices Global Partnership in Washington, D.C., in recognition of her work to end child marriage and promote girls’ education.

She was also honoured with the Hrant Dink Award in 2016, recognising her efforts to protect children’s rights and challenge harmful traditions.

Her story subsequently became an example of how traditional leaders can use their influence to advance human rights and social change.

A legacy that continues

Theresa Kachindamoto died in Lilongwe on 13 August 2025, aged 66. Following her death, the United Nations in Malawi described her as a courageous leader whose work had transformed the lives of thousands of girls.

Her legacy is not simply the number of marriages she helped dissolve. It is found in the girls who were able to return to classrooms, complete their education and imagine futures beyond early marriage and motherhood.

From a college secretary who spent 27 years away from home to one of Malawi’s most influential traditional leaders, Kachindamoto demonstrated that cultural authority can be used not only to preserve tradition, but also to challenge traditions that harm children.

Her life offers a powerful lesson: when a community chooses education over child marriage, it does more than protect a child—it opens the door to an entirely different future.

Theresa Kachindamoto: The Malawian Chief Who Made Ending Child Marriage Her Life’s Mission