The Progress of Girls

Another article writtenby Maman Shujaa trainer,Brigitte Kufis, of the Maman Shujaa Center in Bukavu. I have translated it and posted it here in English. As you will understand from reading below, the Maman Shujaa very much feel part of the global family, and the global intention of their sisters to lift our gender into its rightful place as heirs of humanity's glorious heritage,and co-creators of thefuture that's possible for all. Our local fight for education of our girls is the same fight taking place on the culturalbattlefields all over the world. It is a global problem that demands globalcollaboration.

From Brigitte:

Access to education is a struggle for many girls. Yes, education for girls is a battle we take on as one of the major challenges of the 21st century. We are fighting our battles as part of the war being waged for 32 million girls around the world who are not in school.

Perhaps at the crux of the issue is the discrimination still suffered by girls; adolescent girls and women are still deeply marginalized in many parts of the globe. We know that education is central to all; everybody knows this. We must invest in girls to prepare for the future of tomorrow. Without this preparation now, we will not be creating a sustainable development model for girls.

Take the case of these three girls – Judithe Chekanabo, MALIMINGI Divine, and Divine Ombeni – from Bunyakiri territory. They were illiterate regarding new technology, but the Coordinator of a local NGO in their indigenous community, had the initiative to introduce them to the multiple trainings (on the computer, social networks, and the English language) of the Maman Shujaa Center, in order that they might one-day return to Bunyakiri to assist in the development of their community.

There are also Girl Ambassadors for Peace working out of the Centers, who demonstrate such courage by going into rural communities to sensitize the populations regarding United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1325 & 1820, as well as teaching reading and writing to girls and women who have missed school. The Girl Ambassadors for Peace use the UN Resolutions as their topics when teaching literacy, so are also giving understanding how the female gender can claim their rights during the trainings. The Girl Ambassadors for Peace program is operating in two territories of our province, in the areas of Mumosho and Itombwe in those territories. The Girl Ambassadors for Peace are also performing live theater skits twice a month on different topics on Star Radio, with on-air discussions following each skit.

"Educating a girl is educating a nation."