Executive Director’s Foreword

Greetings FAWEZI community,

As we reflect on the first half of 2024, it is with immense gratitude and pride that I share the early wins and milestones achieved by FAWEZI and our dedicated partners. Your unwavering commitment has been instrumental in driving our mission forward, and I am delighted to highlight our collective progress.

Transforming Adolescent Girls Opportunities through STEM Project

One of our most significant initiatives this year has been the launch of the Transforming Adolescent Girls Opportunities through STEM project in partnership with UNICEF. This program is aimed at promoting inclusive and holistic education for adolescent girls, encouraging their participation in STEM subjects. Our community outreach in Epworth targeting 1500 community members is an indication of this effort, where we sensitized community members about the opportunities in STEM and motivated young girls to pursue these fields. We believe this will lay a strong foundation for future generations of empowered women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Additionally, we trained selected teachers from the 34 project schools on Gender Responsive Pedagogy, which we believe has a profound impact on the learning environment. This training equips teachers with the skills to create a more inclusive and supportive classroom setting, ensuring that girls feel valued and encouraged to excel in their studies. The positive changes in the classroom dynamics will promote a more equitable and motivating atmosphere for all students.

Data for Change Programme: Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV)

We are also proud to pilot the Data for Change Programme in six schools from Chitungwiza, in partnership with FAWE supported by Together for Girls. This program serves as a comprehensive toolkit to empower educators and school administrators, aiming to eliminate SRGBV. Our approach involves:

1. Identifying prevailing forms and drivers of SRGBV.
2. Developing targeted interventions within school systems to address these drivers.
3. Monitoring progress and measuring the effectiveness of these interventions to continuously improve them.

We conducted a comprehensive training of trainers of the SRGBV manual, with stakeholders from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE), school administrators, and teachers from the six schools. The training saw participation from representatives at both district and provincial levels, underscoring our commitment to creating safer educational environments.

Celebrating SASA! Together

We are thrilled to announce the successful closure of the support phase under the Towards Resilient Communities with Health, Equity, and Safety for All (TORCHES) project. This phase had 33,241 exposures, including 943 persons with disabilities. As we transition to the Action phase, the final stage of the SASA! Together model, we remain dedicated to promoting resilient communities and ensuring health, equity, and safety for all.

Empowering Educators and Students

This year, we have also rolled out a comprehensive training program for teachers from Zimbabwe’s different provinces on integrating the principles of Design for Change, the world’s largest movement dedicated to supporting children to take charge and create positive change. This training equipped educators with the skills to inspire and guide students in making meaningful contributions to their schools, homes, and communities.

Girl Supporter Project

FAWEZI wrapped up the second phase of the Girl Supporter Project in partnership with ActionAid Zimbabwe, which focused on improving girls’ agency and participation in advocacy. On May 31, 2024, we held a follow-up meeting with the parliamentary portfolio committee on education. This platform allowed 40 in-school girls to advocate for their right to education, safe learning environments, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Representing the voices of 6,764 girls from 10 project schools, these young advocates engaged in open dialogue with policymakers, reinforcing the key issues raised in their petition submitted in November 2023.

Second Chance Pathways: Increasing Access to Tertiary Education

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce a ground-breaking 7-year program, Second Chance Pathways for Increased Access to Tertiary Education for Marginalized Young Women and Men, supported by the Mastercard Foundation. This initiative will support the most marginalized young women and men, aged 15-25, who have completed secondary education, to transition into tertiary education and later into entrepreneurship or employment. Through innovative pathways, we aim to increase access to education, skills development, and dignified work for young graduates in Africa.

As we continue to build on these early successes, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your dedication, partnership, and belief in our vision. Together, we are creating a brighter, more inclusive future for Zimbabwe’s youth.

With gratitude and hope,

Lydia Madyirapanze
Executive Director, FAWEZI