The Empowerment Village will serve as a shelter, counseling center and community clubhouse where girls combating sexual and emotional abuse can regain their self-esteem and hope for the future.
In Zimbabwe, the boy child is given priority in all aspects of life. This has resulted in the escalating number of homeless girls, school drop-outs, child prostitution, rape, HIV/AIDS, forced virginity testing, early marriages and pregnancies. By setting up an Empowerment Village in rural Hwange, the project will reach over 1,000 girls. The first of its kind in the area, the village will expose the rampant abuse against girl children and break the culture of silence and shame in Hwange.
Two hundred girls will be assisted in setting up and running income-generating self-help projects. Three hundred girls will be reinstated to schools and 100 girls will be assisted with applications to apply for University.
In addition to 1,000 members, each year at least 300 girls will be assisted with counseling and temporary shelter from abuse. The structure itself will include offices, classrooms, four hostels, two kitchens, and a crafts center.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
