International Day of the Girl Child
October 11th is International Day of the Girl Child (IDOGC), a day dedicated to celebrating the voices and power of girls, championing their rights worldwide, and reflecting on challenges they continue to face because of their gender. In 2022, we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the IDOGC in Zambia under the theme, ‘OUR TIME IS NOW – OUR RIGHTS, OUR FUTURE.’
Play it Forward continues to provide sexual reproductive health and rights education, entrepreneurship and financial and digital literacy to adolescent girls and young women from underserved communities in Livingstone. This provides a pathway to reach their full potential and thrive.
To commemorate IDGC this year, Play it forward conducted a mentorship session with the senior girls’ team. Cynthia Mulenga, an Information Technology expert was the guest speaker. She shared her journey in IT and how she has made it in a male dominated industry, highlighting that “gender does not determine who you are or what you become”. Our female staff took time to share their stories and challenges that they have overcome along the way and highlighted the importance of education and believing in what you want to achieve for yourself.
Finally, we also had a time to screen a movie, ‘Hidden Figure’ to emphasise on the stories from the mentors. The movie is about the untold story of 3 African-American women who were working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history. The trio crossed intersectional gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
We recognise the importance of including boys and men in gender empowerment activities, as an essential component of reducing gender-based violence and other forms of discrimination. Indeed, our projects hope to contribute to increasing girls’ capacities to realise their rights and determine their futures.
Did you know that there are two main ways you can empower girls through Play it Forward? One of the most common ways of supporting young girls is by signing up to donate.
You can choose to donate on a consistent monthly basis or opt for a one-time donation instead. No matter which option you pick, we are incredibly appreciative of any donations you give to Play it Forward.