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
