Friday, July 4, 2025
Young and Vulnerable: Malita’s Story of Trading Her Future for Biscuits
In 2022, while in grade 5, Malita (not a real name) was envious of her friends who could afford various snacks like biscuits, which she could not. In many rural areas, young girls like Malita face significant challenges such as poverty, limited access to education, lack of proper health services, and exposure to risky social environments. An older boy in her community offered her biscuits, but at a cost. Malita involved herself in unsafe sexual activities with him, the provider of the biscuits, which resulted in her becoming pregnant.