The Road to Equality & The Heshima Project

The Road to Equality – Soroptimist International President’s Appeal 2019-2021

Soroptimist International is working with the highly influential Global Media Campaign (GMC) to End FGM. Together, they have created The Road to Equality campaign to support the Soroptimist Six. They have chosen six determined women activists who will work to put an end to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in their countries.

How does the Road to Equality campaign work?

In Africa, Global Media Campaign works with local activists who are best placed to mobilise people in their communities. That is how they will change norms and mindsets for the better. These six women will help communities to get funds to support their work to end FGM and violence against women and girls. A high media profile will be essential to this campaign.

GMC has academies to train and empower FGM advocates. After being trained to use the latest technologies, these advocates will be more effective in getting their message out, and increasing awareness of how FGM destroys lives.

GMC also holds national events for survivors, activists, leaders, and journalists. Together, they witness first-hand how FGM impacts the lives of women and girls. Graduates of the media programme go on to create their own powerful messages. Mesages that are relevant to specific regions and networks make it possible to open up space for real conversation.

What is the aim of the Road to Equality campaign?

The aim of this campaign is to bring real change and eliminate FGM for good.

What are Woking Soroptimists doing for the campaign?

In December 2020, we donated £225 to the campaign, We have donated £335 to the campaign so far.

EdUKaid and the Heshima Project

What is EdUKaid?

EdUKaid is a charity based in Salisbury, UK. It works in Mtwara in south-east Tanzania, close to the border with Mozambique. The charity aims to offer education to children in order to break the cycle of poverty. It meets 7 of the UN Sustainable Development goals.

Where does EdUKaid work?

EdUKaid works in rural Tanzania. In that area, nearly 50% of the children leave school before the age of 10. Some classes have 120 to 160 children in them! Early Years education does not have enough resources. Parents often keep children with special needs/disabilities at home. Fewer than 1 in a hundred girls complete their education.

What does EdUKaid do?

EdUKaid builds, repairs and maintains schools. Local people do all the work required. 20 schools benefit from the charity’s help: as well as education, there is also a food programme and rainwater harvesting. EdUKaid pays for 15 teachers to work in the schools, which use Montessori methods. A Disability Education programme was introduced in January 2019.

The Heshima Project

The Heshima project aims to tackle gender inequality in Mtwara. Under this project, a ‘Dignity Champion’ is introduced into each school, so that the girls have someone sympathetic to talk to. EdUKaid has established Girls’, and incorporated washrooms into the schools. There is a women’s community enterprise which makes re-usable sanitary pads. The Dignity Champions do not just talk to the girls, they talk to the boys and the parents as well in order to create greater understanding of the girls’ needs. During the next 2 years, EdUKaid aims to help 3,000 girls in 15 schools, at a cost of £20 per year per girl. Supporting a school club costs £300 per year.

How does SI Woking help the Heshima project?

We think this is a great project and that it will improve the lives of many girls.

We know that the last year has been very tough in Tanzania because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Like all charities, EdUKaid has seen a downturn in donations So Woking Soroptimists were very pleased to be able to give £280 to the Heshima project in June 2020.

Teresa Wells of EdUKaid said “The money donated by SI Woking will fund Mwenge Girls’ Club for a whole year which is fantastic. Our updates through the year show you the incredible impact you are helping us achieve”.