Ellen Kadango: Malawi’s only female hero runs for parliament

LILONGWE: Thanks to a rule that makes it cheaper for women to enter politics than men as 28-year-old Ellen Kadango is breaking stereotypes by running as a candidate for the parliament in Malawi.

And she is the only woman in the country to do so!

“I haven’t had many resources for my campaign. But I have the care; I have the love to change things. The people that I am contesting with are all men and they have everything”, shared Kadango.

Having to encounter a lot of opposition and criticism for her motto that these things are ‘just for men’, Kadango is running her campaign all by herself.

Moreover, study reveals that only 17 percent of Malawi MPs are women.

Kadango is determined to fight for girls education in the country as about half of Malawi girls under-15 are illiterate.

Directed at eradicating child marriages, Kadango aims to put these girls back in school as almost half of Malawi girls get married by age 18. 

“The first thing should be: If she is a woman, let’s help her. Let’s push her. If she is a woman, let’s motivate her”, said Kadango.