DUT Mahlabathini Programme together with Phakamile Mazibuko Foundation celebrated young women as it is Women’s month at a launch held in eHlathini Lodge, last Friday 06 August 2021 by encouraging girls from deep rural areas to believe in themselves and to step out of their comfort zone.

They highlighted issues that girl children came across when growing up in rural areas that children are thought that after matric they have to get married and be submissive to their husbands.

Phakamile Mazibuko the founder of the NPO stressed that the aim of the foundations is to prioritize women and create a bootcamp for them such as what it takes to be a woman, touching on women hygiene, morals, health, finances, leadership, and self-defence because Gender-Based Violence is one of the critical challenges that they are facing, and victims are mostly women and children.

“The aim of this foundation is to instil these positive elements to elevate and to focus on areas to strap gender-based violence practices on women and children” she said

Xoliswa Cele who is a Chief Specialist in Education at Mahlabathini District mentioned that the girl children in Mahlabathini are facing a lot of challenges and lack of knowledge,

“The girls in this area what they know is that they are born to get married to somebody and they don’t have the thing that is saying they are future leaders,”

Cele also stated that she would appreciate it if the young women in her district can learn other things that are not curriculum-based activities, such as leadership programmes for them so that they identify themselves as leadership.

Pictured: DUT and Phakamile Mazibuko Foundation team celebrating young women.

Khumbuzile Mbuqe