GCNW LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL GIRLS' EMPOWERMENT CENTER IN UK 

“We are here today to announce the launch of Girl Child Network Worldwide. It will be the centre of excellence and a hub of girls’ activism as well as a centre of empowerment where the whole world will come and take best practices.”

This is how 11-year-old Annie Chatizemba opened the official launch of Girl Child Network Worldwide on 4 September 2009, Essex County Hotel, United Kingdom. For girls in UK, it was the first time they had ever stood in front of hundreds of adults, both male and female, to denounce widespread abuse of girls all over the world. Many girls had heard about the suffering of other girls, especially in Africa, but they had never thought that one day they would be leaders of girls empowerment like Annie.

Leanne Grossman, a GCNW trustee from California, USA, directed the event and ensured every race, religion, age group and organisation had a fair chance to present. Maggie Howell, Member of British Empire, (MBE is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Queen of England), and a long-serving leader of the provision of 0services to female victims of violence, gave the opening remarks and chronicled how GCNW and the Dove project partnered over the last eight months.

Claudette Monaghan, distinguished guest, one of the few women to excel in human resources management and a role model to many minority ethnic groups in UK, shared a personal statement, “My father is my role model because he told me always to work to achieve and thereby urged other fathers to be examples to their daughters.” Keynote speaker Dr. Comfort Momoh delivered moving testimony of how she has worked with women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation, asserting that even in the UK FGM is rampant. She helps at least 500 women annually doing surgery to repair their genital organs. She called on GCNW to partner with her organisation for greater impact.

Betty Makoni, President and Founder of GCNW, took to the stage and condemned the kidnapping of Jaycee, a California woman who was abducted at age 11 and forced to live with the man who raped her and fathered her two daughters. Betty declared that the whole world had been reluctant to act; otherwise by now the perpetrator would have been dealt with in a way that sends a strong message to would-be rapists. She condemned all systems in the world that harbour rapists and give them lenient sentences as this has perpetuated abuse of girls all over the world. She further called on all present to support girl child empowerment so that girls reach their full potential as women leaders. She asserted that we are still a long way from gender equality whether one is in the South or North. Betty stated, “Even the plane that takes me to Canada has male pilots only and meanwhile women work as air hostesses where they serve food (not that there is anything wrong with doing so) but beliefs, attitudes and practices bar women from making a breakthrough into male-dominated fields in science and mathematics where they could venture into careers such as piloting.”

Director and Co-Founder of GCNW, Priscilla Nyathi, a domestic violence activist in Essex County, unveiled a road map for GCNW that came out of a three-day strategic planning session prior to the launch. Priscilla outlined the vision, mission and broad strategy of GCNW. (See below). Business strategist and expert William Erb had led the planning with GCNW through the help of Ashoka where Betty Makoni is a fellow.

Four girls, including Betty Makoni Junior and Thelma Makoni, who had entertained the audience earlier with their singing and poetry, pledged on behalf of all girls in the world to represent and uphold the girls empowerment model. Betty Makoni called to the stage the most prominent women to endorse the strategic plan. The women, including the Deputy Mayor of Essex, all declared their enthusiastic support in unison, “We must launch it!” Betty Makoni then recited her most renowned poem, “This is the job I have always wanted to do.” True to the point GCNW is now launched in United Kingdom and the organisation will put its full resources to ensuring that girls are empowered and reach their full potential.

A number of organizations expressed their ongoing support. Silvia Giovanonni, the Fellow Coordinator of Ashoka in London, which has provided much-needed technical advice, expressed her support and excitement about this achievement. Mr John Barber of Missing Communities, who has worked with the Zimbabwean community for a long time in Essex, urged the community to form support networks. Pippa Simpson, Dove Project Manager said GCN had come to fill a gap around abuse of girls and the empowerment approach is so unique that the Dove project is proud to play host to GCNW. Munashe Godo, the Founding Executive Director of Zimbabwe Teachers Network hailed the launch and said that GCNW is anchored at the grassroots level and has a long history of achievements in Zimbabwe because of visionary leadership. Naana Ottoye of Forward UK congratulated GCNW and promised to continue her close working relationship with Betty Makoni.

In other developments, GCNW President and Founder Betty Makoni was the Guest Speaker at the Victim Support Organisation’s high-powered event to give awards to volunteers. She will travel to Canada in October 2009 to roll out GCNW programs there. Meanwhile, Priscilla Nyathi has started rolling out girls clubs in Essex in a move that will see more and more girls joining GCNW.

This event was funded by New Field Foundation in USA, Turning Tides UK and Ashoka UK.

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Girl Child Network Worldwide’s Five-Year Plan: