In Malawi, World Renew is starting a project with Word Alive Commission for Relief and Development (WACRAD) to encourage girls to stop engaging in transactional sex. We will be working in six villages surrounding the Lunzu trading center in the southern part of Malawi. Lunzu trading center is on a very busy highway linking the southern part of Malawi to the central and northern parts of Malawi. It is frequently used by truckers from neighboring countries.
This is a way for them to earn money for their household and to buy needed supplies for themselves. Many of them are looking for money to buy the most basic of items like soap and salt. For some of these young girls, it is their first time to see women in public with makeup and pretty clothes, and many of them want to emulate and be attractive like them.
Pray for this project and this community, that we may be able to help the girls stop engaging in transactional sex and that they may find safe ways to earn money.
For many of these girls in the market, it is also their first time interacting with smooth-talking men—men who can buy them needed supplies like soap and clothes. In the beginning, the interaction may be a straightforward business transaction, but as a girl gets more acquainted with the man, he may offer to purchase her sale items exclusively from her and give her a bit more money if the girl will do other “things” for him. This type of interaction is not rare in Malawi, and it is indirectly supported by a local custom. The Chichewa word for this custom is chibwenzi. 
Chibwenzi refers to having a friend that you are in relationship with. This kind of relationship develops before a couple gets married. Chibwenzi is understood as a relationship in which sexual relations outside of marriage occur and one party (usually the man) will regularly provide gifts for the other party (usually the girl).
The ability for the man to provide gifts for the girl is seen as a source of pride, since he is able to show to others that he has the financial resources to provide for her. She will know how much he likes her by the kinds of gifts he gives and by the frequency of the gifts.
While this may not be something approved by the young people’s parents, it is an accepted part of society. Traditionally, a couple enters into chibwenzi before marriage to see if they are suitable for one another. However, these days, chibwenzi can last a few weeks or months, anyone can end the chibwenzi, and a man can be in chibwenzi with more than one girl. This cultural practice occurs even in some Christian circles, though it may not be openly endorsed. The practice of chibwenzi has turned into a form of transactional sex. When girls engage in this kind of behavior, they put themselves at a higher risk of contracting HIV.
In Malawi, World Renew is starting a project with Word Alive Commission for Relief and Development (WACRAD) to encourage girls to stop engaging in transactional sex. We will be working in six villages surrounding the Lunzu trading center in the southern part of Malawi.
Lunzu trading center is on a very busy highway linking the southern part of Malawi to the central and northern parts of Malawi. It is frequently used by truckers from neighboring countries. All along the trading centers are pubs/bars and lodges/guesthouses. During the day the center is full of market stalls and people walking around selling and buying things. Thursdays and Sundays are market days, and food and clothing items fill the streets. People from all over come to sell their goods and purchase items they will need for the week ahead. In the evenings, scantily dressed women visit the pubs, and for a few U.S. dollars a man can spend time with her. This is the environment in which the young girls around Lunzu find themselves.
This is the community we find ourselves working in as we try to implement this project to reduce the number of young girls contracting HIV by engaging in transactional sex. This will not be an easy project, because many of the girls need to find ways of earning money for their basic needs. However, these are girls who should be attending school and not worrying about providing financially for their families. Please pray for this project and this community, that we may be able to help the girls stop engaging in transactional sex and that they may find safe ways to earn money.
Prayer Items
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Pray for Stella and Petros, the staff members of Word Alive who will be managing this project.
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Pray also for the volunteers who will be working with these girls. None of them will be compensated for their time, so please pray that they will be able to find value in helping these girls.
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Pray for this project and this community, that we may be able to help the girls stop engaging in transactional sex and that they may find safe ways to earn money.
Blessings,
