Our Young Women's Empowerment Program is called "Imbokodo," a term that means "to strike a woman is to strike a rock." The name calls back to the anti-apartheid movement, when women mobilized to gain their rights.
Our program aims to provide a safe space for girls and young women to learn about their rights and discuss the challenges they face in their communities as a result of discriminatory gender norms. From those facilitated discussions come innovating solutions, and members of the Imbokodo Clubs are empowered to work together in their communities to bring change that will result in better access to healthcare, protection from gender-based violence, and improved educational and financial opportunities.
- The Imbokodo Program was successfully piloted between June 2016 and November 2016.
- Imbokodo club members were engaged in small groups of 20 by 2 young female facilitators.
- The curriculum was implemented over 16 lessons, consisting of the following themes: Consent, Gender Norms, Negotiating Condom Use and Identifying Abuse in Relationships.
- Program participants were also provided access to basic financial literacy and entrepreneurship training.
Edna* was part of the pilot program in 2016. What we learned from Edna, and other campers like her, is that empowering young women through this program can change their future. Read more about Edna here.
Our goal is to scale this program up to reach 300 girls and young women in 2018-2019.