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Official opening of Rusape Girls' Empowerment Village - 31 August 2002
Girl Child Network Trust (GCNT)
August 16, 2002

For more information and for a copy of the programme of events for Aug 31 – Sept 01, 2002, contact:
Betty Makoni email: gcn@africaonline.co.zw

The Girl Child Network Trust (GCNT) is an organisation that supports the empowerment of the girl child in Zimbabwe in all spheres of home, school and community. The organisation believes that if girls are empowered, they can bring development to their communities socially, economically and politically. The beneficiaries of the programmes are members of GCNT aged 0 – 16 years, some of whom are in school clubs across the country. These benefits have filtered through to other girls who are not necessarily registered members of GCNT as the sensitisation and awareness campaigns gather momentum.

As the GCNT grew and expanded its programs into the rural areas, it became apparent that the rural girl-child was as seriously affected as her counterpart in the high density and farming community. The need to sensitise and empower these girls immediately arose, resulting in initiatives to construct an administrative centre and safe village in Rusape as a starting point.

Girls’ clubs had already spread to these and other rural areas as the organisation intensified its activities around attendant issues. GCNT projects are thus tailored to improve the living conditions of girls, to rehabilitate, educate and train them and to raise their level of consciousness around developmental issues.

On February 8, 2001 the current Director of GCNT put forward a motion to build Rusape girls safe village now renamed Girls Empowerment Village. The current board chairperson, Rebecca Zeigler Mano, agreed that the idea was worth supporting since this would greatly assist the rural girl. Rebecca Zeigler Mano went a step further in identifying Firelight Foundation a US based foundation working with children affected with HIV/AIDS who immediately approved a grant towards construction of the EV.

Egnes Mutsvairo, program officer for Advocacy/Lobbying and Counselling and Vivian Marumbwa, Rusape Area coordinator through assistance from Rusape Coordinators and the girls, did most of the ground work with the chiefs and elders of the Makoni (especially Forimbo Davison) to receive permission to use Chitsotso (traditional and sacred meeting place for girls coming from firewood gathering and an old court for the chiefs). She made a major breakthrough when the chief paved way for a ground breaking ceremony on 7 October 2001. Events that followed were slow as the protocol and the tense political situation hooked everything up.

Always supportive and eager to see EV project become a reality, the Firelight Foundation approved a second proposal to have more funds for the first phase .

A 15-member committee was created to supervise the project but was dissolved due to concerns raised regarding its leadership and village politics. At one stage everything came to a halt when the local councillor and headmen clashed with the committee overseeing the project. The appointment of the construction coordinator, Leonard Katandika, rejuvenated the work and finally mobilized 12 girl volunteers whom to date manage to run the project more smoothly than the previous committees whose work was disrupted by protocol. The following tasks have been accomplished – the setting up of:

• administration block,
• counselling room,
• traditional kitchen,
• study room,
• storeroom,
• mini clinic,
• four girls’ hostels
• the Women as Role Models Museum of Achievements

This is all no mean achievement under the stressful environment in which we have been operating. More so, mobilizing community to be one and the same with us, though achieved, was the hardest thing we ever dreamt of.

The Mighty Rock of Chitsotso naturally empowers the girl child
The Rusape Girls’ Empowerment Village is built on Chitsotso surrounded by a big rock or ruware in Shona. The place is renowned for it’s powerful granite rocks and stones symbolizing women and girls’ power. The last chief to use the place was Chief Muzanenhamo for his traditional court known as dare. The old office used by the late chief to conduct his court sessions was reconstructed and is now EV’s administration block.

For almost 40 years Chitsotso lay idle until the current chief gave permission to GCNT to use the area to rejuvenate the girls’ programmess in a way they felt best benefits the girl child. This is one way of giving back the lost power to girls and women in the area. Today EV stands as a model in the rural areas of what other chiefs in other communities can do for girls.

Chitsotso is a shona word for firewood. It is a traditional meeting place for girls and young women coming from firewood gathering. Women and girls of Maungwe tribe in Makoni, known as Vazvare meaning "Princesses" have always enjoyed freedom and power over men in the area except for a few harmful cultural practices like virginity testing.

One unique practice in this area, unlike in other areas, is that girls and women are never married off and sent to other areas. Instead, their husbands, known as vakwambo after paying dowry or lobola or bride price are the ones who came to serve under the chiefs. Maungwe people have traditionally been known to respect and give power to vazvare or princesses. Currently three vazvares in the area have been given chieftainship powers and allocated areas to rule.

The most valued and revered place in the area is Chitsotso where the EV is now built. At the EV one does not need anyone to tell them that they are on top of the situation. The rock, Chitsotso, physically and psychologically elevates one. This is so not only because of its position but because everyone in the area reveres the place. It being situated on top gives one the sense of being above any situation. This befits the objectives of our organisation as we have always dreamt of elevating girls to greater heights socially, economically and politically.

It is the rock, natural, strong, powerful, big and all over that gives hope to the girls to be like it and be instruments of their own empowerment no matter how the situation presents itself anywhere and anytime. The girls who get the chance to come to Chitsotso should rest assured that the rock gives the power traditionally known to be theirs.

Our purpose at Rusape Empowerment Village

EV has been set up to contribute to the empowerment and development of rural girl children by influencing government, NGOs, CSOs and all stakeholder communities to implement empowerment programmes with haste through girl child sensitive policies, plans and programmes.

Justification

• There is a definite need to build the capacity of the rural girl child to confront and resist sexual abuse and exploitation
• There is need for the rural girl child to embrace empowerment as a tool towards complete freedom now and in the future.

Our services and programs include:

• Confidential crisis intervention, counselling, resource referrals to girls in high risk situations including abuse, neglect, runaway and homelessness.
• Information volunteers at the village find and access essential human services quickly and efficiently. They assess each girl’s situation and needs and identify resources that are affordable, accessible and geographically convenient. No problem is too small, too big or too shocking for the volunteers.
• Provides prevention education advocacy and support to girls aged 0-16 years
• We can help you through programs that deliver results and improve the life of girls and the communities they live in.
• Women As Role Models Museum of Achievements is a wonderful place to find books, videos on subjects on breaking through in male dominated fields through listening to women who have made it to the top. Girls can also go through their profiles and make arrangements to meet with them.
• We provide practical useful information to enable girls to help themselves.
• We facilitate education and outreach by gathering, clarifying and simplifying information and resources

Our Idea of a Girls’ Empowerment Village
Initially our idea was to come up with a safe village to assist especially sexually abused girls. Later on we realised that we would not achieve much as we would restrict ourselves to but one short term strategy. One with a welfare approach which would not do much to improve the girls as they would be dependant on GCNT without themselves being in control. We felt that since abuse was rampant in communities we should concentrate on putting in place preventative measures. We are generally agreed that:

an EV is not

• A children’s home
• A place where girls come to have virginity testing
• A center for income generating projects

rather an EV is

• a locale of information exchange for girls from different backgrounds and localities nationally, regionally and internationally.
• a place where abused girls are fully rehabilitated through provision of temporary shelter by a professional and trained counsellor and reinstated in school and family
• an educational centre for girls and communities on various forms of abuse with a view of curbing the menace

It is through this that we hope to minimize

• exploitation of the rural girl child as a source of cheap labour in the urban areas, cities and farming communities
• sexual harassment and abuse of the rural girl child.
• poverty leading to exploitation
• early pregnancies and marriages
• harmful cultural practices such as genital mutilation and virginity testing
• physical, economic, emotional violence perpetrated by parents and bullies
• psychological torture through forced marriages
• hostile school environment with teachers perpetrating sexual violence
• victimization by local leaders and people in influential positions

Empowerment Village gives a sense of hope to abused rural girls
GCNT sincerely believes that its activism can contribute to respect for the girls’ rights in the context of the diversity of cultural ambiances they come from.

GCNT will build on its past experiences and the experiences of its vast network of partners at local, regional and international levels to address the concerns of the rural girl child in areas such as human rights, HIV/AIDS and developmental issues. The ideas and creative solutions generated, as well as challenge areas identified will act as a fundamental basis in the development and implementation of the empowerment and the development of the rural girl child.

The EV has come at a right time to reclaim the space for girls so that girls are not denied fundamental rights which has created inequalities in economic, political, legal and social status, thereby preventing the development of girls’ individual potential and the ability to contribute as fully possible to the economic and cultural well being of Rusape.

In view of the long standing tradition of according girls an inferior status in society (even before birth), nothing less than a concerted effort at all levels of government will remove the barriers of discrimination and prejudice and result in true equality.

Our funding partners:

• Firelight Foundation, an American based foundation responsible for HIV/AIDS children in Southern Africa
• Anne Firth Murray Founding Member of Global Fund for Women and her students at Stanford
• Smith African Students Association, USA
• Netherlands International Development Cooperation (Novib)
• International Development Exchange - (IDEX)
• CIDA - Canadian International Development Agency
• United States Ambassador’s Self help projects
• Whole Child Initiative
• Global Catalyst Small Tech Grants Competition

Our team
GCNT is a strong team of dedicated visionary leaders comprising of young men and women who give their time and energy to ensuring that we live up to the vision and mission of the organization

GCNT Staff

• Miss Hazviperi Betty Makoni, Director
• Ms Egnes Mutsvairo, Program Officer Counselling /Advocacy/Lobbying
• Ms Mary Chigumira, Program Officer Education and Training
• Mrs. Hodzongi, Senior Matron
• Ms Petronellah Madziwa, Assistant Office Administrator
• Mr Hodzongi, Driver / Messenger
• Ms Gracious Sambureni, Acting Finance and Administration for Albert Katete
• Mbuya Bushu, Rusape Matron
• Mrs Chimowa, Office Administrator –Hwange
• Ms Ncube, Hwange Matron

Our Volunteers

• Mrs Kwashirai, Relief Matron
• Mrs Guvheya, Relief Matron

Our Interns

• Leonard Katandika, Construction Coordinator
• Evelyn Madziwa, Rusape
• Tracy Machiya, Rusape
• Priscilla M Mazai, Chitungwiza
• Leon Muwoni, Chitungwiza
• Daisy Chimweta, Chitungwiza

Our Board of Trustees

• Mrs. Rebecca Zeigler Mano, Board Chairperson
• Revai Makanje
• Memory Bandera
• Justice Makamure
• Kwadzanai Nyanungo
• Gwendoline Kandawasvika
• Sithembiso Sithole Ndondo
• Mercy Jumo Ex board member

Visit the Girl Child Network Trust fact sheet

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