Africa-Press – Botswana. In order to close the gap between male dominance and the girl child, the Botswana Open University (BOU) in collaboration with Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Southern African Development Community Centre For Distance Education, recently established an initiative entitled Girls Inspire.
Often times the girl child finds herself on the back foot when compared to the opposite gender. Studies have shown that there are less women holding top posts in organisations, continuing a trend where the girl child struggles to have access to education in her formative years.
BOU’s initiative is designed to turn the situation around and prove to the world that women are equally capable of occupying high offices.
Speaking at the launch of the new initiative recently, Girls Inspire chairperson, Professor Bantu Morolong, said that the new organisation can be viewed as the messiah of girls and women as it looks to restore hope by ameliorating their lives.
“The GI Initiative is really something that is going to change the lives of many girls and women through the many objectives that it has. “One of the objectives that we have is to equip the girl child and women with skills and knowledge that they can use to deal with issues and areas that continue to make it hard for them to thrive,” Prof Morolong said.
Furthermore, Prof Morolong stated that some of the key areas that the GI Initiative plans to focus on include human rights, violence against women and girls and the lifetime opportunities that females are overlooked on.
She said unlike other initiatives that already exist, the new intervention will focus on augmenting the collaboration that BOU has with COL.
“This initiative will focus on expanding the collaboration BOU has with COL by bringing in the Girls Inspire project that will help empower women and girls through education and imparting of skills that will lead to improved livelihoods,” she said.
In addition Prof Morolong said the project will bring activities and initiatives meant to improve the lives of people with disabilities, in addition to girls and women in rural and marginalised communities.
Revealing how the initiative will alleviate the livelihoods of the beneficiaries, Prof Morolong explained that women, girls, and people living with disabilities will be trained in human rights and enrolled in open learning courses offered by BOU.
Despite the project bearing the word ‘Girl’, Prof Morolong revealed that the initiative will not only be targeting girls and women as they do not want to make the mistake of leaving the boy child and men behind.
“Communities will also be sensitised on norms that discriminate against women and girls, as well as on the importance of education,” she said. “Boys and young men will be sensitised on modelling gender equitable behaviour, positive masculinity and preventing Gender Based Violence among others.” Prof Morolong highlighted that they are entering a territory that already has many people but emphasised that she is looking forward to forge new relations and work towards a common goal.
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