#Girls_Arise#

-A movement facilitating the empowerment of the girl child-

 

 

Masakhaneni Projects trust (MPT) is a non-profit making organization that operates among communities in Matabeleland South Province. MPT attempts to respond in various practical ways to notions and perceptions of a Matabeleland region lagging behind in development due to the specific circumstances spawned by the 5^th Brigade violent incursions in the region.

MPT’s intervention in whichever way has the broader objective of restoring a culture of productivity in the Region. It also seeks to tip the scales of justice in favor of the poor, the marginalized and those least able to improve the quality of their lives due to many forms of deprivation. One such group that has drawn the attention of MPT is the girl child in Matabeleland South who is forced out of school due to either poverty or lack of resources to continue with their education. MPT staff have identified sixty of these girls ranging in age from 13 to 18. Some of them are young mothers who have been forced out of school due to various factors such as unplanned pregnancies and are currently raising their babies under very difficult socio-economic conditions.

Others factors contributing to reasons for leaving school include the lack of school fees and societal issues such as patriarchy which prefers the educating of boys instead of girls. MPT regularly engages parents, guardians and other opinion leaders within the communities to raise awareness about the plight of these girls. Relevant opinion leaders within these communities are also lobbied to register the seriousness of this problem. The universally held view that educating a woman means educating the nation is placed in jeopardy when girls become mothers at 14.

PRACTICAL ACTION THAT MPT TAKES TO ADRESS THIS ISSUE NVOLVES:-

1. Raising awareness among the girls themselves.
2. Engaging parents/guardians and other opinion leaders on the issue.
3. Engaging education authorities to solicit a sympathetic approach to the plight of the girls.
4. Creating centers and spaces for reflection and critical thinking to enable the girls to self introspect .
5. To raise resources to facilitate the girl’s movement back to the formal education system or to the acquisition of some life skill(s).
6. Sending back to formal education at least 10 girls a year.
7. Put in place a vigorous monitoring regime to ensure that the girls who receive one form of assistance or another live up to expectation.
8. Provide information to the girls about self empowerment. This also includes sexual rights and health.
9. Enhance and increase the voice of the girl child at home and within their communities.

MPT envisages a situation where, after a period of implementation the activities result in some of the girls having obtained life skills that will turn them into productive members of their communities. In a way MPT seeks to amplify the voices of these girls by providing spaces for reflection and critical thinking.