Tuesday, January 21, 2020

MSICHANA THABITI PROJECT


Msichana thabiti is a project for girls in the age of 10-14 who are in school. The projects main aim is to help the girls develop an understanding for what is needed for a healthy life. Confidence is important for girls, as they aren’t encouraged as much as the boys. When they’re confident it is also easier to know what is good for them, and they can make decisions of themselves. It’s important for them to know how to make good choices in life, and understand what kind of consequences each decision has. One of the biggest risks for young girls is that they get pregnant or married early. There’s also a risk that they get mentally, physically or sexually abused. That’s why the project is also focusing on educating the girls on reproductive health and what their rights and responsibilities are.

The project has been going on since September 2019, and will go on until August 2020. We’ll be meeting the girls once a week in Luchelele ward. During the sessions we bring up different topics that are important to the girls. It is also important to highlight topics that are interesting to the girls. It could be something that they have experience or have seen that someone else has experienced. It is of great value that the girls get the feeling that it is okay to communicate about things that aren’t very nice. To break down taboos of different problems is of big value, so that the girls can reach out reliable adults when they need to.

Something that is of great significance is to break down obstacles that can occur in the girls life, and give them tools so they better know how to handle situations. They might have a dream but for some reason something can come in the way so that they drop out of school. It is also common that the girls don’t know how it is possible to reach a dream. So this is why this project is of much value. The girls need to get information and the confidence to keep coping in life, so that they can get independent and well-educated.

 
Ward meeting during project introduction in September 2019