Clubbing Together

Val Bishop explores one of  the most successful initiatives in our girls' education programme in Tanzania

In Ngorongoro, Kilolo and Mbulu districts in Tanzania girls are becoming a force to be reckoned with. African Initiatives’ partners the Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC) and the Community Aid and Small Enterprises Consultancy (CASEC) are working with schools to establish ‘girls’ clubs’ in 40 secondary schools. These clubs aim to empower girls through exploring their rights, and helping them to build the confidence to claim them. In Ngoronogoro District PWC work with Maasai groups, where girls have to find their place in a highly patriarchal society and have to overcome huge challenges. Often parents and communities do not see the worth in educating girls, it costs money and is there any point investing it in daughters when they will leave the family fold and marry into another? Often they marry early; often they are forced to marry early. Their dowries come in useful.

Nabaya Parmya is one of the girls who has benefited. She is 15 years old and attends Lake Natron Secondary School. Both a member and secretary of the club she has seen changes in others and experienced them herself. Nabaya says that she has had “the opportunity to learn about issues affecting my education like HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and pregnancy as well as to talk openly about problems at school. I understand my rights better and how I can communicate with people in order to stand up for them. In Maasai culture, girls have no say on any issues that affect their lives” It is Nabaya’s father, elder brothers and uncles who determine her destiny.

Girls’ Clubs like the one at Lake Natron help students like Nabaya to access rights that we in the west often take for granted. When Nabaya grows up she will be able to pass this knowledge to her children. In this way girls such as Nabaya can help change an entire community. And it starts with a club.

Val Bishop

Head of Communications

val@african-initiatives.org.uk