From Victim to Victor: Makanaka Wakatama on Surviving the Horror of Child Marriage
The plight of the girl child is an issue that has always invoked a deep passion within me. Now a 24-year-old young woman, I have goals to succeed in life and am filled with much zeal to help those who are in situations like mine. This is my story.
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| Makanaka Wakatama |
A Star Derailed
I rose to stardom at the age of 9. I presented a small television programme for kids and later became the main anchor for the first Zimbabwean live television show for kids called Star Kidz, which made me very famous. I was a child every parent would admire.
In 2006, while in Form 3 at Dominican Convent, I made newspaper headlines after I was impregnated by a businessman, Obvious Sambadzi, and entered into an early marriage at 15. I gave birth to two children by the age of 17. The story became subject of intense debate as I was a minor. With little knowledge of my rights as a girl, there were many nights of forced sex and violence. I was young and naïve.
Turning Wounds into Wisdom
The marriage was a thorny issue. It eventually collapsed, and all hopes faded. I was left vulnerable. After time spent in meditation and observing what was happening to me and my children, I picked up the pieces of my life and began to move on as a mother of two.
The struggle of my life created empathy; I could relate to the pain of being abused and abandoned with shattered dreams. As a survivor of early child marriage, I have turned my wounds into wisdom and taken a pledge to work with organisations that are fighting to empower and protect young women.
The Makanaka Trust
In a bid to empower girls in child marriages, and in particular those who have left their marriages, I started the Makanaka Trust. One of the main objectives of this Trust is to assist the girl child to return to formal education, acquire vocational skills, and where required, entrepreneurial training. By equipping these young women with the skills and resources to improve their lives, we hope to change their story from being a victim to becoming a survivor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Makanaka Wakatama is a former Zimbabwean child television star, known for hosting the popular show "Star Kidz." She is now a powerful advocate against child marriage.
At the age of 15, while she was a famous TV presenter, she was impregnated by a businessman and entered into an early and abusive marriage. She had two children by the age of 17 before the marriage collapsed.
The Makanaka Trust is an organization she founded to fight against early and forced marriages. It aims to empower girls who have been in similar situations by helping them return to formal education and acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
Her message is one of empowerment and resilience. Having turned her own "wounds into wisdom," she advocates for the rights of the girl child and works to ensure that other young women can change their story from that of a victim to that of a survivor.
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