Byo woman launches LeadGirls2School Campaign

A LOCAL woman-cum-youth champion has partnered with a local Non-Governmental Organisation-Jibilika Dance Trust to launch a campaign that will facilitate a free flow of education for the girl child, particularly in rural areas.

International Republican Institute senior programme associate Miss Mantate Mlotshwa who is also the co-ordinator for the campaign, said they were mainly targeting female students.

“This is a zero funded campaign and logistical costs associated with running are purely from our pockets. We are aiming at mobilising resources and pay one-year worth of school fees and stationery for at least two rural girls in each of Zimbabwe’s three Matabeleland provinces, Harare, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West in a bid to reaffirm their confidence in education as a tool for success.

“The economy in Zimbabwe has widened the gap between the poor and the rich, making it very expensive for a lot of young girls to continue their education. It is through these lenses that our young girls are beginning to question the value and truthfulness of education,” said Miss Mlotshwa.

She added that if girls are financially supported and mentored by the stories of role models whose journey they can relate to, they can be motivated to stay in school.

“We identified and partnered established women leaders to share their journeys online in order to encourage young girls to believe in themselves regardless of the economic situation in the country. We decided to use social media handles like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to be innovative and creative enough to manoeuvre the various challenges that a girl child faces when attaining education, especially in the rural areas.

“We grew up under a bold notion that education is the key to success. This motivated a lot of us, including our parents and guardians, to work harder in ensuring that we access quality education that prepared us to compete in the job market and secure decent lives for ourselves. Therefore, we are in a bid to reinstate confidence in education as a tool for success as we realised that most children are losing dedication and passion to education,” she said.