Gender-based violence and violence in schools is a major barrier to education for girls around the world. In Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township, 4 out of every 10 girls will experience gender-based violence in school. Boxgirls South Africa works to create a world in which girls can lead dignified lives, live in safe communities, and have control over both their economic development and sexuality.
The programmes that we deliver support 600 girls in developing life skills, learning self-defense and de-escalation strategies and encourages them to become leaders in their schools and communities. Together, women and girls are fighting against gender-based violence by ensuring that girls are safe in their schools and by removing other barriers to progress in their communities.
Our mission is to help girls and young women living in Khayelitsha's inner-city to develop strong personal skills, create a supporting social network and improve their grades so they can broaden their current and future opportunities. The knowledge and skills that girls develop in our program will enable them to challenge traditional narratives of their futures, in which cycles of violence, dependence and limited resources lead to enormous lost potential.
We are aiming for long-term social change working upwards from the individual to the school to the community. We are committed to the schools and the communities in which we work, and work to surround our participants with the social capital and networks that they need to affect long-term, systemic change.
