International

Global Sisterhood: The Girl-Child Network Comes to RTS
Recently, Betty Makoni, Executive Director of the Girl-Child Network Trust based in Zimbabwe, visited the RTS office to share and learn about issues facing both GCN and RTS. Betty first came to the United States as a teacher/chaperone in ZEEP -- the Zimbabwe Education Exchange Program, a student exchange program for high school students in Zimbabwe and the United States.

The Girl-Child Network
The idea for the GCN was born from some initial meetings Ms. Makoni had with girls at the school where she had been teaching. She and the girls founded the organization to combat systemic problems negatively affecting girls. Ms. Makoni points to the disproportionate numbers of girls in her country and others who are homeless, who drop out of school, who are sexually abused, subject to early marriage and pregnancies, and who contract HIV/AIDS often as a result of these other factors. She sites a stark statistic: of the reported 1,500 AIDS-related deaths reported weekly in Zimbabwe, 30% are girls aged 15-18 years. She hopes the GCN will redress gender imbalances as it provides a platform for girls' voices. Today there are more than 3,000 members in GCN, and it has expanded beyond Zimbabwe to other countries. In addition to providing support for GCN clubs organized throughout the country and beyond, GCN has established three safe houses to shelter abused, orphaned, and poor girls. The GCN is also active lobbying for children's rights, providing workshops that raise awareness about issues affecting girls such as HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and sexual abuse, and developing counseling and support for girls who have experienced trauma. GCN clubs throughout Zimbabwe are also active promoting sports, arts, job skill development, and scholarships for girls and young women.

Ms. Makoni's vision is that the GCN will assist girls in need, offering them shelter, education, and counseling and providing them with skills so they can become self-sufficient and give back to the community. Overall, she wants to develop an organization that empowers girls so they can individually as well as collectively develop their fullest potential. The GCN seeks to educate the general population on issues affecting the development of girls as well, hoping to garner greater understanding and support for girls' development, and change social attitudes that promote gender discrimination.

At Ms. Makoni's recent visit we discovered that so many of the issues facing GCN are the same as those facing RTS: how to sensitize people in law enforcement to the issues of sexual assault, how to navigate the courts in ways that are non-detrimental to survivors, how to nurture understanding among family members of survivors, and how to lobby effectively for reforms. Ms Makoni brought with her the voices and music of young Zimbabwean women from the GCN who had produced their own songs. The songs' themes relate to the struggles of girls and young women in Zimbabwe, and to neglect and abuse in particular. The talent and strength of these female voices instill a sense of hope that sisters throughout the world will continue to learn from one another, support each other, and change the world in wonderful ways.