BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The DREAMS Gateway project implemented by Jhpiego has equipped 19,000 Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in various employable and entrepreneurship skills in the districts of Blantyre, Machinga and Zomba.
This was revealed during a media tour on Friday, June 3 in Mpemba and Chilomoni zones in Blantyre district.
The organization said the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS) initiative has reached out to adolescent girls and young women approximately 60,000 for the past five years and 19000 specifically the previous year in Blantyre, Machinga and Zomba districts.
According to the DREAMS technical lead, Gervas Mgoli, the Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) have been empowered with various skills that will help them to be less vulnerable and stand for themselves in pursuit of their dreams.
“The AGYW benefiting from the project were identified using local entry points such as village headmen, mother groups, youth clubs, secondary and primary school clubs.
“We aim to impart knowledge and empower them to be determined, mentored, safe and visualize their dreams through employment and entrepreneurship,” said Mgoli.
In an interview with one of the beneficiaries of the project, Edith Alimu, 22, from Nkamwana Community Based Organization (CBO) in Chilomoni, she commended the organisation for transforming her life through the DREAMS Gateway project.
“Through the DREAMS project, I have acquired skills including how to make yoghurt, sanitary pads and saving money for business.
“Participating in the DREAMS club has also made me aware of the importance of family planning. I have also learnt that some aspects of life cannot be fully explained whilst seated at home and now I have confidence in myself and my skills,” said Alimu.
One of the beneficiary, Esther Mizimu, also disclosed that through the project, she was able to complete her studies at the Malawi Institute of Tourism and currently she is a professional Hotel assistant.
In Blantyre, the project is being implemented in five zones of Chileka, Limbe, Lirangwe, Chilomoni and Mpemba.
In his remarks, Isaac Chimalizamphili, zone coordinator of Chilomoni Community Based Organization said the Dreams Club has empowered young woman and girls to be independent and make good decision for themselves.
“We managed to keep adolescent girls and young women free from HIV, raised awareness on different family planning methods, empower them with necessary skills through provision of education materials such as school uniforms, fees, and several other materials.
“The program has been accepted by the communities and we are currently considering individuals with disabilities to also benefit from the program,” said Chimalizamphili.
The Project started in 2017 with a core package of evidence-based interventions that address many overlapping vulnerabilities for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW).
Jhpiego is implementing the project in partnership with the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and it is targeting girls with multiple vulnerabilities such as HIV, sexual reproductive health, economic strengthening, gender-based violence and mentoring.
