'Dem sell me into marriage wen I be 12 years old'

Around one in five girls across di world for don marry before dem turn 18. Even kontris wey get laws wey go against child marriage sometimes no dey enforce am. For Malawi sha, change don start.

Di third time wey we go see Tamara, dem tell us say she don go farm, early mor-mor to farm.

Even as she dey nine months pregnant, dis 13 years old no fit rest.

Tamara (wey no be her real name) don dey sleep for ground for her aunty small hut for months, afta her 20 sometin year old husband pick race.

E bin hear say social services dey come to free Tamara from dia illegal marriage, na so e japa leave Tamara to trek go her aunty village.

Ova di past few years. plenti tins don change for Tamara life. Dem born her for farming community inside southern Malawi Neno district, her family dey live under poverty line like 65% of di pipo wey dey dia. War for Ukraine come worsen di whole mata as dem be direct trade padi padi with Malawi. E stop wheat and fertilizer supply and dat one increase di price.

Wen Tamara parents follow each oda sick and die, dem carry dia only pikin give her grandma.

But just one month later, Tamara just come back from school and na so her grand ma tell am.

Tamara tok say, "she bin tell me say I need to marry, she don collect money from one man."

One man wey Tamara neva carry eye see before, pay 15,000 Malawian Kwacha (around $9) to marry am.

Tamara grandmama don already chop di money, use am buy maize for family, and now di man dey vex. E want di girl im pay for, im "wife" to leave schoool and come stay with am.

Since 2017, child marriage don dey illegal for Malawi but na cultural norm for di kontri and for rural areas like Tamara community, wia 85% of Malawi pipo dey stay, e still dey happun wella.

More dan 40% of girls for di kontri don marry before dem clock 18 according to di Non Governmental Organisation, NGO wey dem dey call NGO Girls Not Brides.

Tamara say, "Life hard because di man senior me. E bin dey abuse me physically. E go bite me wen I do anytin wrong."

She bin live with am for three months until pesin report give social services. As dem bin dey prepare say make Tamara go back school she see say she don miss her period.

12-year-old Tamara don carry belle.

About 100km away from Tamara aunty hut, near di border with Mozambique, na di office of Radio Mzati, wey be local radio station.

Group of ogbonge women in dia 20s dey for radio studio dey prepare to go on air.

Host Chikondi Kuphata hala "Hello! Hello! Make una welcome to anoda edition of Ticheze Atsikana, programme wey dey tanda as platform to epp fine girls like us tok about our issues."

Kuphata and co host Lucy Morris dey tok for both English and Chichewa. Di show name mean "make we gist" for Chichewa. Na weekly show wey AGEAfrica, NGO wey dey support rural education for rural and vulnerable girls to fit stay school dey sponsor. E get about four million listeners for Malawi. Di majority of di audience na women wey dey villages like Tamara own.

Today topic na child marriage.

Morris say "major reason here na poverty. Because most of di families wey we come from dey poor, our parents no fit look afta dia pikin, so di best solution na to send di girl pikin enta marriage. Girls dey marry men wey senior dem by far so dem go take care of dem."

She say, "wen girls get education, dem sabi dia rights, dem know say dem fit get help to stop child marriage. Dat na part of our mission, to make girls tok, tok dia tori and know say anoda way dey."

Her village wey dem dey call Gulumba, wey dey for di bottom of Mount Mulanje, get women only listening club for Ticheze Atsikan.

Anoda fan of di show na local chief, Benson Kwelani. E say e dey encourage girls make dem stay for school, and no go give im blessing to marriage if di girl dey under 18 years old.

Married as pikin

Two weeks back, afta Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney and Melinda French Gates go Malawi, President Lazarus Chakwera say dem go put more money inside di national strategy to end child marriage.

Dis three ogbonge philanthropists dey work for di kontri with local joinbodi dem to fight against child marriage. Michelle Obama joinbodi Girls Opportunity Alliance dey support AGE Africa. Amal Clooney joinbodi, Waging Justice for Women initiative dey support Women Lawyers Association of Malawi to teach rural girls dia legal right. Ms French Gates foundation dey put money for projects wey go improve healthcare for women, plus including girls wey born for dia early teens.

NGOs say, e dey strange say social services go chook mouth for mata of child marriage but e be like say attitudes dey change among local leaders.

Afta campaign wey UN population run for 2020, more dan 100 Malawi traditional chiefs say dem go fight traditional marriage for dia communities. But dem no fit do anytin if families give dia girls to older men to marry.

Two chiefs for Neno district, wia Tamara dey live, tell us say dem no sure say child marriages no dey happun for secret for dia communities.

John Juwa wey be head of community wey get ova 2,000 pipo say, "Some parents dey come to us and we go refuse those marriages. Sometimes di parents go insist say di pikin don ripe for marriage, but we dey ask make dem give us dia health passport book so we fit confam dia age."

But who get responsibility to stop secret child marriages?

Oga Juwa, pause for long before im come say, "na we get responsibilty as chiefs with family support."

Tamara don born boy. One small NGO for Malawi wey dem dey call People Serving Girls At Risk bin pay man wey dey ride bicycle make e carry her go local health clinic wen labour start. Dem dey also check in regularly with her and di aunty.

Tamara labour go straightforward luckily. Wahala wey surround pregnancy and birth na di number one reason why young women and adolescents dey die, na wetin WHO tok so pipo bin dey fear for am.

Caleb Ng'ombo, executive director for People Serving Girls At Risk say, "Tamara dey house and dey do well with her son, her family dey happy say e don come. She get support from her aunty and village pipo but na now di real work dey start. E go beta make she go back school but she still need to support her pikin, we no sure wetin go happun now."

Tamara tell BBC say her big hope be say her pikin wey she call Prince go fit finish school.

Tamara aunty get fruit and vegetable shop wey dey make less dan $50 per month. E dey near dia hut. Tamara dey help wen she fit and na so she dey take see her friends. For di shop, some girls dey come to collect provisions for dia family.

Di last time wey we go, at least two pregnant teenagers from di village wey carry vegetables greet Tamara as dem bin dey go back house.