2019 International Day of the Girl Child

November 4, 2019

As part of the 25th commemorations of the International Day of the Girl Child, ROOTS in partnership with Higher Life Foundation hosted a colorful event for young people at Tendai Hall in Bindura on the 11th of October 2019. The event was well attended with over 500 Adolescents and Young People from schools within the district. A number of ROOTS’ key stakeholders including ZNFPC, Child Line, NAC were also in attendance and contributed to the program in form of motivational as well as educational speeches for the young people present, especially the girls.

The program itself was packed with speeches and poems from the young people themselves with the over- arching theme being the importance of the girl child in society. The girls were encouraged to have a positive view of themselves and their future while the young boys present were encouraged to value and respect girls and to also help diminish their current burden within the private sphere/ the home. The most exciting parts of the program were: 1.The quiz on the commemoration and rights of the girl child 2. The dancing segment by several students from the different schools.

The objectives of the day were to celebrate and encourage positive imaging of the girl child, to spread awareness on the recurring negative socio- cultural practices such as child marriages and GBV and facilitate a positive shift in beliefs and norms and to empower Young Girls through the promotion of girls’ rights.

The event was spearheaded by two young facilitators and a significant number of performances/ presentations was from young female poets while most presentations encouraged girls to be confident and to positively view themselves. The importance of education was a recurring theme and finally the partnership between ROOTS and Higher Life Foundation once again proved to be a fruitful one.