UNITED NATIONS GIRLS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Starting this month, every issue of Girls Too! will feature an UNGEI Champion individuals nominated for their strong commitment and activism for girls’ education and gender equality. We welcome your suggestions for future champions at ungei@unicef.org.

“I would like to thank you for my recognition and nomination as the first UNGEI Champion to be published in your newsletter, Girls Too! Many thanks to UNGEI for including and bringing children and teenagers to be accorded an opportunity to make sound decisions, as most of the decisions are made at higher levels. These decisions affect mostly the children and young people. I would like to mention that for now, we are able to reach all sectors of life, children inclusive. I promise to continue with any activities so as to help in the progression of UNGEI.”

Chinyanta Chimba, 18, is an advocate for the rights of girls. At her school in Lusaka, Zambia, she is active in the Student Alliance for Female Education, and she travels around the world speaking about children’s rights. Chinyanta was a youth panelist in the UNGEI discussion on ‘Partnership for Protection in the Education of Girls’, a companion event to the 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2007. While attending the UNGEI panel, Chimba received radio equipment and skills training at UNICEF. Recently she started recording digital diaries of interviews with friends, along with her own observations. For her first digital diary, she spoke with some of her 12th grade peers at school about what’s most important to them.

Chinyanta’s Digital Diary: A Zambian teen fights for child rights and gender equality
In her first digital diary, Chinyanta Chimba interviews her peers and focuses on children’s rights – including the rights to education, health care and protection under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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At UN panel, girls describe challenges that keep their peers out of school
Youth panelists shared the experiences and challenges of girls growing up in their four different countries today at a discussion hosted by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) in New York.
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Solomon Islands: Youth employment - “We are not the problem, we are the solution.”
It is Genevieve Doni’s second day in school. She looks unsure of herself, probably because despite being 17 years old, she is only in primary school.
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Bolivia: Child-friendly schools give hope to a young girl in El Alto, Bolivia
Mariela Mamani lives in Villa Tunari, one of the most populous areas in El Alto, Bolivia. With the arrival of the Child-Friendly Schools Programme, sports facilities have been added. Mariela has discovered that she is not only an excellent student, but also a great athlete.
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Rwanda: School campaign supports girls’ education and achievement in Rwanda
Nathalie Kaligirwa, 17, received the First Lady’s Award for Achievement during a ceremony launching the Rwandan Government’s five-year campaign to promote gender parity, retention and achievement of girls in school.
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8 September - International Literacy Day

During the past few years, Zambia has been affected by drought and floods, displacing families, damaging infrastructure– including schools, water sources and health posts – and submerging food crops. Natural disasters, poverty and a high AIDS prevalence are interwoven with mutually reinforcing cultural constraints, entrenched attitudes and gender stereotypes, leading to persistent gender gaps in education. And a systemic shortage of qualified teachers impacts both girls’ and boys’ education. Although student retention remains a challenge, Zambia has achieved the 2005 goals on gender parity in primary schools.

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Developments: Issue 38 (2007)

This free quarterly magazine from the UK Department for International Development presents the stories of people and organizations working to end poverty and aims to increase awareness and discussion.

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‘Safety and security in and around schools: An integral component of access to education for girls’ will be the topic of our next eDiscussion.

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