MSICHANA Initiative (MI) has organised a one-day annual forum to address girls’ agenda scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam on Saturday this weekend.
The event, expected to draw in 1000 participants, will be presided over by girls from different Schools, groups, various Clubs, and the ones with special needs, as well as community development stakeholders and government representatives.
Briefing journalists on the event yesterday, MI Executive Director, Ms Rebecca Gyumi said the guest of honour, Director of Women Fund Tanzania (WFT), Ms Merry Lusimbi will preside over, where this year’s theme will be -‘The role of community in protecting and defending rights of girls’.
She said various topics touching girls, through the forum’s theme would be presented, including ‘the role of men in the family and role of family in protecting girls.’
“Through the forum the girls will have an opportunity to express challenges facing them, and discuss how they can stand strong to get their solutions,” she added.
The Director hinted that the forum is sponsored by the Global Fund for Women and Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA), whose last year’s forum held in Dodoma City, discussed teenage pregnancy and gender violence.
Msichana initiative is a programme established to advocate for girl-child rights to education in Tanzania, which includes addressing key challenges facing them and limits their access to education.
Ms Gyumi said the organisation seeks to ensure that a girl-child inherits all rights accorded to any human being, without regard to gender, and discriminations based on economic, culture and socio-political stances.
The mission of MI is to become the leading organisation in advocating for the provision of quality education and safe study environment to all girls, including creating self-reliance, confidence and self-determination amongst them.
“To create a society which empowers girls, who ought to realise their full potentials by advocating for their right to education, that is our target,” she said.