GENET optimistic to curb GBV in Dowa

MALAWI: Girls Empowerment Network (GENET) says it is optimistic that its three-year project dubbed ‘Nkhanza toto, a girls and women’s movement in Malawi’ would help to curb cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) affecting girls and young women in the areas of Traditional Authority (T/A) Kayembe and Chakhaza in Dowa district.

With the funding from Comic Relief, GENET is implementing the project in partnership with Oxfam and Cavwoc.

Speaking on the sidelines of the closing of three day girls’ summer camp which was held at Dowa Secondary School on Friday, GENET Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Faith Adams Mapemba said that the project seeks to equip girls and young women on how they can fight GBV.

“with the project we are building a movement of girls and young women in fighting against GBV, the whole idea is to empower these young women and girls with skills and knowledge so that they should be able to stand up and fight against GBV.

“In the same way, we want them to be able to speak out on the issues concerning GBV happening in their communities,” Mapemba said.

Asked on why her organisation decided to implement the project in Dowa district, she said that Dowa district reports high cases of GBV against girls and young women hence the project.

“Research has shown that Dowa district is one of the districts that have high rate of violence affecting young women and girls, for this reason as an organisation we thought it wise to come up with the project in order to contribute in the fight against GBV in the district,” she said.

Mapemba expressed confidence that by the end of the project in April 2023 cases of GBV would be reduced in Dowa district.

“We have already started seeing the fruits of the project as many girls and young women are now able to raise an alarm when their human rights have been violated.

“With this progress, I am confident that when the project will be phasing out there will be almost zero incidences of GBV in Dowa,” she explained.

In her remarks, one of the girls from T/A Chakhaza who attended the girls’ summer camp, Eletina Geresomo said that through GENET’s project she has been empowered with the knowledge and skills required in defending her human rights.

“Through the project, I have learned a lot of things including public speaking as well as how to fight against GBV, with the skills and knowledge which I have learned I am now able to defend and protect my human rights when are being abused,” Geresomo said.