BUILDING THE FUTURES OF 100 ZIMBABWEAN GIRLS

Happy Holidays to all our supporters from around the world!  

Back in late June, 2015 we reported that many of our first groups of female vocational trainees were stellar: They were eager to learn, worked incredibly hard, and have proven themselves again and again. They engaged in welding, construction, sewing, nurse’s aide training, early childhood training and computer skills. Since then, we’ve struggled: Our present cohort of girls shy away from construction or other heavy work and take much less initiative than our first class of girls finishing school. And, most of all, their female guardians either discourage them from entering training programs, or undermine their ability to participate since they want them to stay home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the younger kids in the household.  Boys are allowed unambiguous freedom; girls are tethered to the demands of often-elderly caregivers.

In an effort to deal with this problem, we began working with the caregivers to help them understand that, while they might experience a short-term loss of the girls’ labor at home, they had to think of the long-term gain of having income flowing into the household. It didn’t work. They don’t mind that their older girls aren’t busy enough and that six girls out of this cohort have already gotten pregnant. In fact, it became clear that the caregivers wanted to be paid to allow the girls to participate in vocational training.

So we formed a group called Young Girls of Tomorrow. The initiative is in its early days, but we’re hopeful that this might be a more solid strategy that will help the girls move forward. They face such immense cultural obstacles, and we’re just beginning to play with more ideas for overcoming them.

Searching for answers hasn't been easy. But we think we have the makings of a powerful way to open our girls eyes into the lives of girls elsewhere. We are, therefore, thrilled to announce that the Women's Empowerment Club at Eleanor Roosevelt High School has agreed to work with our Zimkids girls through regularly scheduled skype video sessions.  

Tinashe, our director, and I visited Roosevelt High this month and spoke to the Honors students and the Women's Empowerment Club about our girls.  We have developed a plan that will give our girls the opportunity to share their lives, concerns, and challenges with their counterparts in the United States.  And vice versa.  We are hopeful that this exchange will enlighten and encourage our girls to look beyond cultural expectations and to engage in the kind of education that we offer to brighten their future and help them to become independent, smart and skilled women.

Wishing all of you a Happy New Year!

Links:

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• Outreach to US Students