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Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
ADOLESCENT girls and young women from across the country received leadership, economic and mentorship skills to equip and empower them with knowledge of their rights and leadership skills.
The year-long Leadership, Economic, and Mentorship Hubs Programme (LEMHs) training helps adolescent girls and young women aged 16-24 start change-making movements in their communities.
The training was conducted by Tag a Life International (TaLI), an adolescent girls and young women’s rights organisation and it focused on the realities of leaning into leadership positions for women and girls.
It also focused on how to raise girls and young women in leadership, the challenges being faced, opportunities that were available and the need for equality as a basic human right.
TaLI programmes assistant Ms Chandel Charenzva said she was grateful for the mentorship they received as young girls.
“TaLI brought us to the table and created opportunities for us to create a networking platform and nurture young women for growth and full realisation of their own potential,” she said.
“Drawing from my experience from the training to the on-the-job learning to date, I can confidently say that at Tag a Life, the girl child is empowered to become whoever they want to be. This has been an amazing journey.”
Ms Tatenda Tahla senior programmes officer at TaLi said women were powerful agents of change.
“Having more women in leadership positions helps in breaking stereotypes and creating role models for future generations,” she said.
“I am a product of this LEMHs programme and I have witnessed LEMHsters graduating each year after me. Through this programme, I am now leading in civil society. Others who are LEMHs beneficiaries went on to form organizations that are leading in communities.”
TaLI founder and director Ms Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said raising young women as leaders transform communities and empower them with economic opportunities.
“We have equipped and raised as leaders in our communities and our nation and we are joining the globe in raising their issues,” she said.
“I am proud that we are equipping young women leaders to rise up in areas of their interest and passion that range from sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate and environment, gender-based violence and peace-building, democracy and governance. Our leadership programme focuses on empowering the young woman with the knowledge of her rights so that she obtains a voice and agency to claim those rights and to build movements with fellow youths in their communities to advance their rights as change makers.
“Some of our young women have gone on to register their initiatives while others have started their own small businesses. Our young women have utilised their voices and are the evidence for our advocacy work by partnering with us in bringing issues from their communities and raising their voices on issues that concern them in dialogues with members of parliament in our advocacy meetings.”
The 2022-2023 class of LEMHsters was supported by the African Women Development Fund, Global Fund for Women and Bill Cook Foundation.
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