Communication strategies used by Plan International Zambia in the 18+ campaign towards ending child marriages in Chibombo district

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the communication strategies used by Plan International Zambia in the 18+ campaign towards ending child marriages in Chibombo District of Zambia. The study used the triangulation method. A total of 102 questionnaires were distributed to respondents in the six villages of Chibombo District. The six (6) villages were Chibombo, Mwamuyamba, Mulaisho from the new Boma and Kaonga, Pwangama and Chuno from the old Boma. In each village, seventeen (17) respondents were picked to make a total sample size of one hundred and two (102) people. The researcher conducted four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with residents of Chibombo ward. Two separate FGDs were conducted with boys’ and girls’ groups set up by Plan International Zambia in schools within Chibombo ward. The other two FGDs were held with women and men from the communities. The researcher also used in-depth interviews with a headman in Chibombo, a teacher who had been participating in Plan International Zambia’s programmes, Paralegals trained by Plan International Zambia, and Plan International Zambia staff.
The findings of the study revealed that Plan International Zambia has a lot more to do for Chibombo residents to have more knowledge about child marriages. Chibombo has a population that has rural and urban characteristics, thus it is divided into two sections, the new and old Boma. In light of this, Plan International Zambia should come up with interventions that can accommodate the two populations as they differ when it comes to access to different media. Information on child marriages has been mainly received through the formation of girl clubs/child rights clubs and community meeting through the engagement of traditional leaders. However, Plan International Zambia should consider having girls’ clubs in every school and ensure that a large proportion of boys are incorporated in these clubs. Materials with child marriage information should also be translated into local languages and distributed in communities and schools.