WOMEN AND GIRLS EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE(WGEI)

 Challenges of women  and girls   are so high for their education and development ,poverty and the high level of illiteracy, especially among women ; A third problem is that boys tend to be given priority when resources are not sufficient for all children The fourth problem is inheritance of cultures and early marriage.

 HIV/AIDS and sickness in pour society is another  for  them. Evidence shows that girls and women are more exposed to HIV/AIDS, and this affects girls’ education because they are the ones who are tending to those sick people. They are the ones who are not going to school because they have to remain home to look after children when their parents are in hospital. The school environment is also not friendly to girls’ education. For example, in Rwanda, study shows that many schools are not friendly to girls’ education. It is common in developing countries to have more than 60 children in one class room. Despite the infrastructure we have there, even you can find those 60 children under the trees.

 Some time we have a problem that when the class is crowded they prefer to move from the classroom to an under-tree classroom.

Teachers are also not friendly to girls’ education. Teaching methodologies are not gender sensitive. Teachers consider the classes as homogenous groups but tend to encourage boys more than girls, and girls lose as a result. The lack of encouragement makes girls and their younger sisters to not be motivated to move to the next level. That is why girls need role models in participating in science and technologies. Girls are told that science and mathematics are for boys, but I know from my experience that all children are born the same. In biology we study brain for your mind; we never study brain for men and women.

 Focus

*The role of youth  in promotion of gender both in and out of school.

*The improvement of the girl’s performance in schools.

*The role of boys in gender promotion

*Cultural barriers in gender promotion and always try to find solutions.

*Encourage girls to actively take part in all decision making aspects.

*Importance of the gender promoting discussions in their families

*The reproductive health and unwanted pregnancies.

*The effects of HIV/AIDS on the infected student, his family and his Country.

*Prevention and voluntary testing.

*Gender based violence.

*Stigmatization

 Methodology

 Train facilitators on peer education and interactive teaching.

• Organise workshops or trainings.
• Provide club members with information package on HIV/AIDS and gender balance.
• Negotiate with the schools administrators to support clubs activities.
• Visit schools to ensure follow up of the workshop and clubs activities.
• Holidays activities (Village based gender equality promotion and HIV/AIDS awareness activities)