By Mercy Mutandwa | Operations Manager
We have come to the end of 2022 and we can’t help but have deep gratitude for the most normal year we have had of the last three.
The final term with our mentees is always full of mixed emotions. On one hand, we are really sad to say goodbye to the girls, knowing that even if we keep in touch, we will not see them weekly like we had become so used to. On the other hand, we truly celebrate how they have embraced the one year journey they have been on and all they are becoming.
Third term is sunny and very warm in Zimbabwe. The rains grace us towards the end of the term, usually just before the final few sessions. That and the trust gained throughout the year makes for good attendance from mentees and we are grateful for this. Our sessions in the third term are mostly lively debates and 'free sessions’. Most of the talking time is left to the mentees and they impress us with their debating skills, their public speaking skills and the amazing ideas that shine through their new found freedom. When we asked the girls what they felt had changed in them this year, they mentioned 16 different qualities - becoming more confident, being braver and being more loving were some of the qualities. Very humbling.
We ended the year with our famous end of term lunch. Due to ongoing power cuts, the beef stew was made on an open fire and that went down a treat! There was ice-cream for dessert and not a drop of rain in sight on the day! Mrs A, our COO and Founder of the Girl Child Programme delivered an inspiring message on bravery and standing up for what is right. These are words that our girls need to hear again and again and it made for a good parting note. Thanks to an amazing donor, each girl walked away with three pairs of reusable sanitary underwear. We estimate this saves the girls two years of buying sanitary wear, for some it’s two years of not making the tough choice to use unhygienic alternatives, for others two years of not missing school on a monthly basis because they have nothing to wear during their period.
We are grateful to our partner schools for allowing us to recruit mentees from their schools and for giving us premises that we can use to hold our sessions. We are grateful to our mentors who give so much to make sure that the programme runs well. Most of all, we are grateful to our mentees who trust us with their time and without a doubt allow us to learn from them as they learn from us. 2022 mentees we wish you all the best for the future. We will miss you dearly!!
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