1. THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 WOMEN’S RIGHTS- EDUCATION AND TRAINING 26-28 May 2014 Kopanong Hotel, Johannesburg South Africa Idah Kamushinda 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

2.  The good practice is called secure and safe boarding houses.  There is no boarding school in the area.  ZIMASCO a mining company was renting houses to these school children.  The motivation was that school children ended up in promiscuity in trying to augment the meagre income.  As the local councillor, I decided to accommodate these children under one roof.  It is a good practice since these children will be living under boarding environment with boarding supervisors acting as loco-parents

3. The process set out to find residential care houses for school children. A series of meetings were conducted to find ways of alleviating the problem of accommodation for the children. I appealed to ZIMASCO to just donate the houses to the community to help these needy children as a plough back to the community. The company after consultation with their superiors later donated 16 houses to the children cause. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

4. The initiative came about due to : Drug abuse Prostitution Child labour School drop outs Low pass rates

5. Receiving of concerns at ward meetings Ward, stakeholders and SDC meeting on the reports and way forward Mobilisation of resources from well-wishers (beds, food and money) Employment of boarding staff and in-house training of the staff Accommodating the school children 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Residential Care Houses

6. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

7. CATEGORYBoysGirlsTOTAL % Girls School children 43 196231 Total 43 196231

8. The major challenge that the project is facing is finance to expand the project A Mango fruit growing and processing project at Landfall was undertaken to augment finances 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

9. I supervise the boarding staff. I conduct counselling sessions for the children i.e. teaching them about their rights, the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and other issues on adolescence. The SDC also monitors 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

10. Service Delivery lodgings have been provided to 62 pupils from Mutorashanga High School School children at their lodgings 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

11. Four women and one man have been employed The girl child has been empowered greatly i.e are now out of prostitution and child labour 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Mrs. Mawere, the matron

12. The ZIMASCO Mining Company which is male dominated has supported this project. management agreed to donate these houses to the community as a plough back project to the community. “It is the duty of the company to plough back to the community for its corporate image” Mr. Chinyoka the Mine manager of ZIMASCO 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Quote from Mr. Chinyoka

13. The community of Mtorashanga is involved in donating various food items to the children. Mrs. Nsingo donated food in form of maize and vegetables The impact has been that there are no food shortages at the residential care houses. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Mrs. Nsingo, a farmer

14. Male abusers have seen that it was wrong to sleep with young girls The community has seen it that it is its responsibility to look out for abusers as children upbringing is duty of everyone. “I wish you had come long back. Our children could not complete their education because we could not make them live alone due to abuse of the girl child.” Mrs. Mwale 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Quote from Mrs. Mwale

15. Council is in support of this project and is pegging an area where more houses will be built to accommodate more children. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Evidence of motion

16. The Mtorashanga community has learnt that it is possible to work together for the cause of reducing gender based violence; and schools can have community boarding facilities for the children who live far away Perpetrators of GBV are being reported to the Police and; Other schools are making arrangements for pupil’s lodgings 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

17. The project is in its second year and the sharing with others is at this summit. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

18. The project can be sustained if council provide land The “Zunde raMambo” should also be extended to councillors This work can be cascaded to other organisation through twinning arrangements so that other councils can copy that we are doing. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

19. Adult literacy Training Construction of residential care houses 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

20. Mtorashanga High Students at Assembly