By Imelda Durand | Translation & Editing Coordinator
From December 2023 to July 2024, Grandmother Project led a training program across ten sites for a hundred grandmothers (GMs) with the goal of strengthening their leadership and knowledge, including understanding the physical and psychological changes girls undergo during adolescence. This was aimed at helping them better support and guide the girls through the numerous challenges they face, while also working to stop harmful traditional practices against them.
In addition to this training, which was initially intended for the hundred GM leaders selected by their peers, 476 young girls also participated in several training sessions. The purpose of including these young girls alongside the grandmothers was twofold: 1) to build strong bonds of trust between the grandmothers and the girls for better connection, and 2) to allow these girls to learn from the grandmothers how to become good leaders. The presence of the young girls also provided an opportunity for the grandmothers to listen to the challenges they face and to develop action plans together. Grandmothers will be able to contribute effectively, both individually and collectively, to promoting girls' education and their holistic development if stronger bonds are established.
The objective of including girls in this program was to later identify, among the 476 young girls who participated in the training, potential young leaders who would work hand in hand with the grandmother leaders to promote girls' education and combat harmful traditional practices such as child marriage, early pregnancies, and female genital mutilation in their communities.
During the training sessions, the grandmothers and the girls identified new ideas for changing mindsets related to girls' education and reducing harmful cultural practices against girls.
The participatory activities, which included exercises, role-playing, images illustrating concrete problems, traditional stories, case studies, and simulations, enabled the 476 young girls to:
A small evaluation conducted after the training showed that the girls who benefited from the program gained enthusiasm and determination. Some of them initiated activities within their communities to strengthen cohesion among young girls. For example, they organized meetings to discuss the challenges some of them face in obtaining school supplies. The evaluation results also revealed positive changes in knowledge and self-confidence among the girls who participated in the training sessions alongside the grandmothers.
Several young girls from the 476 who participated in the training program with the grandmothers have already been selected by their peers. They will continue to attend meetings with the grandmother leaders to consolidate their leadership skills while waiting to receive more focused training exclusively for young girls on leadership roles.
Grandmother Project Change through Culture team want together with you make a difference in these girls and their communities’ life. The goal in near-term is to complete the leadership training for 200 selected girls. Your contributions could help us achieve it.
Read more below about what GMP has been working on, on our website.
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