Girl Child Network (GCN)

Mission

Girl Child Network’s mission is to resocialise girls (0-18 years old) so that they articulate their individual and collective rights and strategically position themselves to take charge of their own empowerment.

Programs

GCN began as a club at a high school where girls met to share their concerns regarding forced marriage, virginity testing, rape, prostitution, HIV/AIDS and their limited economic opportunities. GCN now has over 300 clubs throughout Zimbabwe with more than 20,000 members, and three Empowerment Villages that shelter victims of sexual abuse. GCN also has numerous preventative projects including education, training, advocacy, and peer counseling for girls.

Funded Projects on GlobalGiving

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Girls in Zimbabwe	Build a Girls' Empowerment Village in Zimbabwe	Send Rural Girls to School in Zimbabwe	Send Rural Girls to School in Zimbabwe
Girls' Empowerment Village in Hwange, Zimbabwe

Personnel Overview

Betty Makoni - GCN Founder and Director
Betty Makoni is an outstanding leader in Zimbabwe. She works tirelessly to prevent sexual abuse and discrimination against girls. She founded Girl Child Network in 1998, while working as a teacher in Harare. She has a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Zimbabwe. Currently, she also Chair’s the Women’s Coalition, a national organization of 22 women’s rights organizations in Zimbabwe.

Personnel Statistics

Betty Makoni,
Founder and Director
Founded in 1998
Employees: 25
Volunteers: 300