Taekwondo: Ending child marriage in Zimbabwe, one kick at a time

The martial art is a welcome refuge for teenage girls hoping to escape the widespread practice of child marriage.

Epworth, Zimbabwe – Growing up in Epworth, a densely populated suburb southeast of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, 17-year-old Lisa Nyambupu would see many of her friends getting married at a young age.

It was a future she also expected for herself – until she stepped on a taekwondo mat for the first time.

“All along I thought there was nothing wrong about getting married early,” said Nyambupu, who in 2019 decided to join a taekwondo training class offered by another girl her age, Natsiraishe Maritsa. “It was at this forum where I learned that it is actually a bad practice which must not be encouraged.”