Memory - The Child Who Gives Girls Hope

A powerful true story: the story of Memory Banda, a modern-day heroine who transformed Malawi and continues today, through her foundation, to defend the rights of girls around the world.

 

 

In Malawi, Memory, a determined young girl, refuses to bow to the traditions that force girls to marry before the age of 18. When her little sister Mercy becomes a mother at 11 following a ‘special camp’, Memory decides to take action. From village to village, she mobilises the girls and convinces the local chiefs.

 

Her fight led to a historic victory: the change in the country’s Constitution to ban child marriage.

 

• 2026 UNICEF BOOK AWARD LONGLIST (9-12 years old category)

 

Supported by Flore Vasseur, the director of internationally acclaimed documentary movie Bigger than Us.

 

 

IN THE SAME SERIES

 

› MOHAMED, THE CHILD WHO TRAVELLED 11,000 KM TO STUDY.
The transformative power of education (Guinea)

› ARTHUR, THE CHILD WHO CREATED HIS OWN PERMACULTURE
GARDEN. The environmental emergency (Belgium)

› HAILEY, THE GIRL WHO BUILDS SHELTERS FOR THE HOMELESS.
The right to housing from a child’s perspective (USA)

› Soon: ELLA AND AMY – The anti-plastic revolution (England)

› Soon: FELIX – One million trees for our future (Germany)

 

 

THE AUTHORS

 

Sophie Adriansen is the author of over 80 books. She excels in the art of telling inspiring true stories, particularly through her novels and children’s books about little-known historical figures.

 

Flore Godlewski is an illustrator. Her brushstrokes and evocative compositions bring the emotions of
her characters to life, while respecting the authenticity of the local context.