Author: jasmine shirey

Menstrual Hygiene Day Preparations

Posted on by jasmine shirey

As part of our preparations for Menstrual Hygiene Day, FAWEZI is collecting sanitary ware to give to girls in need. Contribute to our 1 month sanitary pads collection drive and help us donate sanitary pads to disadvantaged girls in selected project areas in the Chitungwiza and Shamva Districts. The sanitary pads will be handed over to the girls on the Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH day) – May 28. On the day we will also hold dialogues with the girls on healthy menstrual management. Individuals and organisations can donate the sanitary pads or cash/transfer to make the purchase. MH Day provides a platform to break the silence, raise awareness, and change negative social norms around Menstrual Health Management, it also engages decision-makers to increase the political and economic priority and catalyses action for MHM, at global, national, and local levels.  WhatsApp questions or send ecocash donations to 0785541612.

SRHR Service Providers Dialogue

Posted on by jasmine shirey

Barriers to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services and information put girls’ health at risk. Inconsistent laws and policies relating to the age at which girls are able to access SRHR services without parental consent; stigma and taboo around the sexual activity of adolescents; a lack of comprehensive sexuality education, and other inconsistencies continue to negatively impact girls’ sexual and reproductive health. FAWEZI held a dialogue with SRH service providers from Chitungwiza today to discuss the policies surrounding SRH for adolescents.
Our aims were:

  • To interrogate existing SRHR services for Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in and out of school, including the disabled.
  • To identify commonly sought services among AGYW, the availability of the services, and challenges being faced in accessing them
  • To analyze existing policies guiding SRH service provision .

The discussions buttressed the need to further build the capacity of service providers, especially on delivering SRH services to adolescent girls considering religious and cultural beliefs, ages of consent, and stigmatization. Thank you AmplifyChange for helping us maximize opportunities for adolescents and young women’s access to SRH awareness.

Global Action Week for Education (GAWE)

Posted on by jasmine shirey

The international Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) kicks off today – ( 24 April to 1 May ). The overarching theme for 2019 is ‘Making the right to an inclusive, equitable, quality, free public education a reality.’ This annual week of action calls on urgent attention to invest in the future of all learners world-wide. GAWE supports citizens and communities to claim their right to education, encompassing the realization of the full SDG4 agenda. FAWEZI will participate in the belated Zimbabwe GAWE commemorations in June of this year.

Update on FAWEZI Bursary Beneficiaries

Posted on by jasmine shirey

FAWEZI’s bursary support program is working! Check out who we have helped pass so far and be inspired to support more vulnerable girls and young women. To bring an out-of-school girl back into education, to help a young mom get her O levels, or to keep an at-risk girl in school, click the link! https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/fawezi-20-girls/

The SRHR Dialogues Continue

Posted on by jasmine shirey

More Sexual and Reproductive health Rights (SRHR) dialogues and more opportunities for FAWEZI to speak with school girls about the challenges they are facing. At Shamva’s Ming – Chang Primary School the girls echoed issues of harmful religious and cultural practices as one of the major threats to their well-being. We had an emotional session as we listened to the girls confide their fears regarding the prevalence of child marriages fueled by these beliefs and practices in their communities. We also spoke about Menstrual Health Management, children’s rights and responsibilities. Thank you AmplifyChange for supporting our work in maximizing the opportunities for adolescents and young women’s SRHR awareness.

More Sexual and Reproductive Health Talks

Posted on by jasmine shirey

More Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights #SRHR dialogues with our girls in schools. At Wadzanayi Primary and Secondary school in Shamva the girls proved to have information on most of the issues like menstrual hygiene and all forms of child abuse. The girls shared challenges on issues of harmful cultural beliefs – Chiramu and drug and substance abuse. Thank you AmplifyChange for funding our work and allowing us to foster and encourage dialogues on the multifaceted nature of SRHR.

SRHR Dialogue in Shamva

Posted on by jasmine shirey

We continue to share experiences form our Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights dialogues – this time from Madziwa Mine Primary and Secondary schools in Shamva. We spoke about child rights and responsibilities, and about SRHR nuances with students from a range of ages and backgrounds. Our facilitators from the School District Office engaged learners in an exercise to identify their rights and responsibilities as well. As FAWEZI we led the conversations into more details of SRHR. Most questions raised from the Primary and Secondary children revolved around sexual abuse and menstrual hygiene management. Lack of sanitary wear , inadequate ablution facilities, and the ‘cloak of silence’ around menstruation issues at home, were the major challenges raised by girls. 

FAWEZI joins HIT in a STEM career guidance event at Highfield 1 High

Posted on by jasmine shirey

FAWEZI joined the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT)’s Technology Transfer Licensing and Commercialization Center (TTLCC) department in a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) career guidance event this morning. The event took place Highfields I High School and engaged ‘O’ and ‘A’ level learners from the Science department on possible career paths in STEM, especially those offered by HIT. The learners showed interest in hands-on STEM careers and also shared innovative ideas of their own that they wish to use to invent solutions to real life issues.

FAWEZI hosts International Women’s Day Facebook Live discussion

Posted on by jasmine shirey

On International Women’s Day, 8 March, 2019, FAWEZI hosted a Facebook live discussion with some of our Alumni members and young women from the Harare Institute of Technology. The discussion was centered on the theme – ‘Balance For Better’. We discussed issues that impact on equal representation of girls and women, focusing mainly on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers. Some of the participants also shared their personal experiences. Watch part 1 of the discussion here.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Posted on by jasmine shirey

Happy WOMEN’S month and happy women’s DAY today, 8 March. For us this is a perfect time to amplify our voice in telling girls about their worth so that we build their confidence as they grow into the women of tomorrow. We also continue to support them in pursuing their career paths especially those that have been previously male dominated. As we celebrate all the women throughout the month lets also focus on identifying and recognizing their countless achievements. We do and will continue to celebrate the achievements of women in all aspects of society including social, economic, cultural and political arenas.