BOLD MOVEMENTS
Welcome to Bold Movements!
As we celebrate 10 years of impact, CRVPF is proud to present a rich collection of stories highlighting the lived experiences of our partners, the communities they support, and our shared journey. We hope that you will return often and draw inspiration from the courageous efforts of these communities as they work tirelessly to prevent violence and sexual violence, against children and young people while building powerful movements for lasting change.
April: The Dar-Girls
A movement building story, 4 girl leaders on a mission
Written by Amanda Thompson Agaba, CRVPF | Photos by Chriss Enock for CRVPF | Contributions from Salmah Babu, Karungi Kajura, Sosina Million and many others.
SURVIVING CHILDHOOD
When Jennifer walks into a room, her inner fortitude is palpable – her confidence admirable. Her power is not off putting, it draws people in to listen to her, to engage with her. Jennifer is the leader of Wadada Wa Leo, which translates to “Sisters of Today,” based in Bunju, Kinondoni, Tanzania. But before becoming the powerful force, she is today, Jennifer and her family endured profound hardship when she was just five years old, after the loss of her father, their rock and breadwinner.
“Before that I was a happy child, I would sing, dance, tell stories, but the death of my father andthese painful changes took a toll, and I stopped speaking. I stopped being a child.”
“It was hard for me to make friends because parents in the society didn’t want their children to be friends with someone raised by only one parent, a woman.”
Francisca’s first point of contact with intense pain was when her father abandoned the family. This act exposed Francisca, her mother, and her brother to financial difficulties and ridicule from their community for being a single-parent household, even leading to accusations of engaging in sex work to survive.
Refusing to let the struggles of her childhood define her, Francisca founded Social Empowerment in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where she now leads and inspires other young women.
“Uyu ni fashionista!” her friends exclaim—”She’s a fashionista!” Dressed in a design she created herself; Mariam passionately speaks about the power girls can build together. It’s hard not to stand up and follow her lead. Mariam is currently the leader of Jitambue in Temeke, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
However, Mariam wasn’t always the confident, fashionable leader she is today. She was once a shy, timid girl who lost her mother at an early age and was raised by her father and grandparents in the village. As was common for girls in her circumstances, once she finished primary school, Mariam was sent to work as a housemaid to contribute to her family.
Zawadi’s childhood story stands out from that of many girls in her village. Her parents were her biggest supporters, encouraging her to pursue and complete her secondary education.
When word spread that she had finished school, potential suitors and their families began knocking, asking for her hand in marriage. Elders warned her parents that if they weren’t careful, Zawadi would age and lose her “marketability” for marriage. Undeterred by these pressures, her parents stood firm, allowing Zawadi to continue chasing her multiple dreams.
Today, Zawadi is the founder of Juhudi Girls in Ilala, Kiwalani, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where she empowers young girls with essential life skills and income-generating opportunities.
Breakthrough
Breakthroughs aren’t always earth-shattering. Sometimes, they’re a simple radio jingle, a conversation with a neighbor, a movement that meets people where they are — at home in their community, or even a knock on the door. CRVPF believes that the key to preventing violence and sexual violence, against children and young people lies in grant-making and strengthening the capacity of community organizations. Why? Community organizations possess deep contextual knowledge and a close connection to the communities CRVPF aims to reach, which enables them to implement violence-prevention interventions in the most effective way, even in the most remote areas. Aligning with this approach, CRVPF through the Adolescent Girls Power Program (AGPP)- a program which utilizes various strategies including safe spaces, peer leadership, and education life and vocational skills, supported Kiota Women’s Health and Development (KIWOHEDE), non-governmental organization in Tanzania and a community partner of CRVPF at the time, to equip adolescent girls with both life and vocational skills.
Mariam, Jennifer, Zawadi, and Francisa—four young girls, each with dreams of independence and wealth that went beyond money—were unaware of each other but were all introduced to KIWOHEDE’s program, supported by CRVPF, through various channels including neighbours, radio ads, posters, and more.
When the girls, along with several other young women, joined the program, they were equipped with life skills from This Little Light of Mine, a manual developed by CRVPF to help adolescent girls make smart choices and informed decisions, which enable them to lead safe, dignified, and sustainable lives free from violence and sexual violence. In addition to life skills, CRVPF recognized the importance of providing the girls with income-generating skills, as limited financial resources often leave young women vulnerable to violence. The girls were taught a range of these skills, including techniques in fashion design, soap-making, baking, batik (a method of wax-resist dyeing applied to fabric), and more.
These skills were taught within the framework of safe spaces, one of CRVPF-AGPP’s strategies to prevent violence and sexual violence against adolescent girls. Safe spaces provide a secure environment where girls are equipped with life skills that enhance their power and agency through guided sessions led by mentors. This holistic set of skills marked the beginning of a breakthrough for Mariam, Jennifer, Zawadi, Francisa, and many other young girls, giving them the opportunity to become forces for change in the world.
“A safe space is a place where girls cancome together away from stress and worries to be themselves to talk about the things that hurt to share ideas and learn together. It’s a place where girls can make good friends to support them.”
TRAINING GROUND
When Mariam, Zawadi, Jennifer, and Francisca first met, they didn’t realize they were already movement builders. However, after completing the training supported by CRVPF, each of the girls expanded the safe space groups they had been part of during the program or started new ones upon returning to their communities. Their goal was to share the skills and knowledge they had gained—free of charge—with other girls who hadn’t had the chance to participate. After hearing about the girls’ innovative efforts, CRVPF, through AGPP, decided to directly fund the four individual groups the girls had started.
Jitambue
- Location: Temeke
Founder: Mariam
” I am not just Mariam, but a Mariam who does what? Who is known who has responsibility who has wisdom and experience and most importantly who is a champion of girls in her community. “
Wadada Wa Leo
- Location: Bunju, Kinondoni
Founder: Jennifer
” We are saying as women of today we are different we are here to reach one another and help each other we believe we have the power and that we can make a difference “
Social Empowerment
- Location: Kigamboni
Founder: Francisca
” When i remember that the skills, I learned back such as, batik tailoring and fashion for free, I was determined that we would give that to other girls “
Juhudi Girls (Effort)
- Location: Bom Bom road, Kiwalani
” Our safe space is a place where girls meet, where we meet girls and together learn new skills, talk about the thing that concern us and create ways to make our lives better. “
Future Notes
If I could speak to the younger me, I would tell her….
“If I met Zawadi at 10 years old, I would tell her, first of all, to study —
not just to study, but to have a goal and a dream. She must fight for
her dreams, and while she’s fighting for them, she must also fight for her opportunities.”
I want girls to know that…
“I want them to know that they can learn something, they can change their lives,
they can have their own office or workshop one day. I want girls to
know they don’t have to do things alone, some things that are hard
they can do with others.”
Looking back…
“I thank God for everything, even the difficult things if I didn’t overcome them, I might not have been driven to fight for the girls. I might not have become the owner of ‘Jennifer’s Workshop’ or learned how to weave, batik, or make soap.”
I am proud of me!
“I am proud of who I have become. The government recognises me as a leader of girls in the community and of the group “Social Empowerment.” Before our group was supported by CRVPF, they didn’t acknowledge me as a leader or a change-maker. However, after we became formal with CRVPF, I feel more confident and have gained more knowledge on how to be a good leader for other girls.”