Fellowship #3: End Child Marriage in Zimbabwe
Location: Harare, Zimbabwe
Sixteen-year-old Charity lives in Chitungwiza, a suburb of Harare where the Women Advocacy Project (WAP) works. She got pregnant at age 14 when she was in Grade 7.
Click here to watch WAP’s anti-child marriage training in Harare!
Child marriage is a serious threat to the health of girls in Zimbabwe as a result of cultural practices like kuripa ngozi, in which a girl is offered as compensation for a serious crime committed by her family. Child marriage has serious consequences – it can deprive girls of their right to education and expose them to risk during childbirth. WAP has established itself as a leading voice for the rights of girls and an active member of the international network Girls Not Brides.
The 2019 Peace Fellow will help WAP to run and monitor their “Ambassadors Against Child Marriage” program to prevent 25 at-risk girls from early marriage. Moreover, the fellow will help WAP to train the girls to produce and sell soap, providing an economic incentive for them not to marry. Lastly, the fellow will continue the work of 2018 Fellow Alex Kotowski to raise funds, update the WAP website and expand WAP’s network of international partners.
Qualifications
- A commitment to, and interest in, the rights of women, girls and children
- Story-telling skills – writing, journalism, photography and video
- A passion for networking
- Experience in project management and/or evaluation
- Work experience in Zimbabwe/East Africa.
- Experience with social media and website design/development
- Interest in business and entrepreneurship.
We are accepting applications for 10 weeks for this fellowship
For More Information
- The blogs of Alex Kotowski (2018)
- Look at WAP’s 2016 annual report
- Read About Child Marriage in Zimbabwe
- Understand the Girls Not Brides Movement
The beneficiaries
Meet 18-year-old Yeukai, who attended an anti-child marriage WAP training session. Yeukai is in Form 6 and has been participating in Woman Advocacy Project (WAP) programs for over a year. “When I grow up, I want to be a human rights lawyer,” she told WAP. “I want to stand for women and for people with disabilities and albinism. Sometimes when I talk about injustice, people say ‘well that’s the way the world is,’ but I think no. Maybe I’m crazy, but I want to stand for justice.”
The partner
WAP’s Executive Director, Constance Mugari, on a field visit to Mbare, Harare. She is committed to promoting and protecting the rights of vulnerable and marginalized women and girls in communities through holding advocacy campaigns and lobbying for the right of voiceless women and girls.
The Peace Fellow
Alex Kotowski, 2018 Peace Fellow, was the first AP fellow to work with WAP. Click here to see her photos.
Visit the WAP website or contact fellowships@advocacynet.org for more information