On 11 September 2018 FAWEZI hosted a start up meeting for the program Design for Change (DFC). We invited teachers and students to learn about the DFC model and to participate in activities aimed at practicing the steps.

Design for Change is an international platform that advances the message that children can be their own agents of change. DFC encourages children to have an ‘I CAN’ mindset when approaching problems in their own communities. The DFC model is four steps:

1. Feel the problem,
2. Imagine a solution,
3. Do something about it, and
4.  Share your experience with others.

FAWEZI oversees the Zimbabwe branch of DFC and in the start up meeting we were excited to hear the ideas of the teachers and students about implementing DFC in primary schools. Teachers and students from Avondale Primary and from Louis Mt Batten Primary attended the meeting and brought up problems in their own schools that could be focuses of DFC student-run interventions.

In addition, FAWEZI met with Sister Claris Gowo, the Education Secretary of the Education Secretariat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Harare about implementing DFC in catholic schools in Zimbabwe. The Catholic Pope has confirmed attendance at the 2019 DFC conference at the Vatican. Sister Claris was enthusiastic about the opportunity and FAWEZI looks forward to further collaboration.