Zimbabwe: ‘Not in Our Village’ – Shamva Chiefs Take a Stand Against Child Marriage

Some girls wore proper football boots. Others played in sneakers. A few ran barefoot across the dusty pitch of Madziwa Teachers’ College in Shamva. But on that day, it didn’t matter what they were wearing. What mattered was the message they were sending: child marriages have no place in their communities.

As the whistle blew, the girls charged forward, their energy, their laughter, and their determination louder than the stigma that had long shadowed their lives. Each kick of the ball was a small…