CORPSAFRICA
  • Home
  • About
    • About us >
      • The Model
      • Human-Centered Design
      • Impact
      • Development Partners
      • Junior CorpsAfrica
    • Team >
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Advisory Council
    • Work With Us
    • Press
    • Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Contact us
  • Countries
    • Morocco
    • Senegal
    • Malawi
    • Rwanda
    • Ghana
    • Kenya
  • Volunteers
    • Meet the Volunteers >
      • Morocco Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Morocco
        • Group 2 Morocco
        • Group 3 Morocco
        • Group 4 Morocco
        • Group 5 Morocco
        • Group 6 Morocco
      • Malawi Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Malawi
        • Group 2 Malawi
        • Group 3 Malawi
        • Group 4 Malawi
        • Group 5 Malawi
        • Group 6 Malawi
      • Senegal Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Senegal
        • Group 2 Senegal
        • Group 3 Senegal
        • Group 4 Senegal
        • Group 5 Senegal
        • Group 6 Senegal
      • Rwanda Volunteers >
        • Group 1 Rwanda
        • Group 2 Rwanda
        • Group 3 Rwanda
    • Podcast - "My CorpsAfrica Story"
    • Featured Projects >
      • Dzaleka Basketball Court
      • Kitchen Gardens
      • Coronavirus Response
    • Featured Volunteers
    • Alumni Association
    • Apply
  • Events
    • Events >
      • PROJECTing Resilience
    • All Country Conference
  • Blog
  • Donate
    • Donate to CorpsAfrica
    • Pay It Forward Campaign
    • Holbrooke Campaign
    • Corporate Council for CorpsAfrica
    • Planned Giving
    • Amazon Smile

Let's Chit Chat

6/22/2016

1 Comment

 
Written by Vanessa Chimutu, CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Malawi

​Since I started working with my community, one of my favourite days of the week  are Thursdays. It's pretty simple why, because this day of the week is where I get to to have CHATS with the girls of Nsala Community Day Secondary School. Now I know someone can ask, "What are these chats you are talking about?" Well this is an extracurricular program that provides girls with information about leadership, facilitation, life skills, sexual reproductive health and also career guidance.  In simple terms, CHATS stands for Creating Healthy Approaches To Success. This  work is done through the guidance of my partner organisation Age Africa which is an organisation that seeks to advance girls education in Africa through the provision of scholarships to vulnerable girls and also through their chat curriculum that provides the girls with different skills.
Picture
Student facilitator leading the group
Picture
Chisomo explaining her gender workload chart
The most recent and memorable session we had with the girls was on the topic on gender and the community. Here the girls discussed the issues that surround gender in their community, for example, they talked about the different gender roles which they play and how different they are as compared to boys' roles in the community, and how these affect their education. One interesting example was from a form four girl Chisomo who talked about her gender workload chat where she explained how she walks all the way from her home to school, which is 7 kilometers away and she ends up being late for school because she has to do chores before she leaves for school as compared to her brother, who just gets ready and leaves for school. The girls expressed their problems and at the end also helped one another to come up with possible solutions for the dilemmas they face. This is the most interesting part because this is where you see their critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. It really shows that the CHAT sessions with the girls are an outstanding tool in motivating students in advancing their education.
Picture
Small warm up dance before chats begin
Furthermore, we had the honor and privilege of  having the Ambassador of Malawi to the United States, Mr Necton Mhura, participate in our CHAT session. He was such an inspiration to the girls, as he gave a motivational talk about his journey and advised the girls to never give up on their dreams. He emphasized that education is key, especially for the girls, as educating girls means educating a whole entire community. The girls where very much encouraged and inspired with his words of advice. Lastly, he also talked about how they should not take their scholarships for granted as that opportunity only comes once in a lifetime.
Picture
Ambassador Mhura giving a motivational talk to the girls
I therefore believe that the sessions we have with the girls give them a sense of direction and motivate them to not sway from their goals at the end of the day. Therefore I would like to encourage my fellow bloggers and readers to be catalysts for the  promotion of gender equality throughout the globe, as this is key to having a well rounded society.
Picture
Photo: CorpsAfrica Volunteer Vanessa Chimutu with Malawi Ambassor Necton Mhura
Picture
Group photo after the CHAT
1 Comment
IBRA
6/28/2016 06:46:43 am

Zili bho

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Support
    Welcome
    ​to the CorpsAfrica Volunteer Blog! 
    Get an inside look at the experiences of CorpsAfrica Volunteers in the field.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    RSS Feed

Picture