Kamulanga High School Teachers Meeting

Kamulanga High School is situated approximately 9 km from the town.  It is located south of Lusaka in Jack compound.  The school is one of the safe space schools where TAAAC is currently operating under the Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWEZA).

On July 1, 2010, ZNWL Men's Network working with FAWEZA gave a presentation to teachers of Kamulanga High School.  The main aim of the meeting was to introduce the Men's Network Project and the Boys Network club for the boys.  The teachers were very enthusiastic about the project.

ZNWL also participated in the Parents Teachers Association meeting in the afternoon.  One of the interesting issues that ZNWL learned was how the school was transformed into the school of excellence by FAWEZA from an ordinary basic school.  The school authorities working with parents have also managed to secure a boarding house for underprivileged girls.

One of the critical issues that came out of the discussion was the increasing number of pupils dropping out of school due to lack of school fees.  After a lengthy discussion between teachers and parents, various proposals were made including parents making a certain amount of money to meet school for pupils who cannot afford to pay school fees.  ZNWL's proposal was to engage pupils themselves to fund raise for their friends who are not able to pay for the school fees.  This was welcomed by the school authorities and parents.

Teachers Sensitisation
During this session a brief introduction of ZNWL and its programs was given to the teachers.  It was mentioned that ZNWL works with women politicians from all political parties in processes of capacity building, lobbying and advocacy with government departments, the presidency, political parties and other strategic allies.  The teachers were informed that in 2000, ZNWL launched the Men's Network Project to deal with escalating concerns of women by involving men as models to reach other men.  Some of the activities for engaging men include capacity building of new network members, the Men's Travelling Conference and the Men's Campfire Night Conference and the newly introduced Boys Network Project.

The focus of the teachers' sensitisation was to help the teachers grasp the project before it come into school.  The Boys Network club will be an advocacy tool against the sexual violence on adolescent girls in schools.  It was explained that the development of this project was prompted by the fact that there are increasing cases of violence against girls in schools.  In principle the teachers welcomed the initiative.  The boys network will work in key focus areas which include training of boys as advocates, radio programmes as one of the innovation for giving an opportunity to boys to speak out against violence as well as reaching other boys in schools and in the community and sensitisation of parents on SGBV.

The teachers were informed that a formal request will be made to the school to have the initiative recognised.  So far a letter has been written to that effect.  A date for establishing the Boys Network is yet to be set up.  So far so good as communication has been established with the head teacher, Ms. Patricia Mudenda.

Men's Network Project Coordinator, Nelson Banda, flanked by Kamulanga High School headmistress, Patricia Mudenda, and FAWEZA's Mwenya Chiti, giving a session to teachers during the Teachers Sensitisation at Kamulanga High School, of of the Safe Spaces Schools.

 Kamulanga High School teachers listening during the sessions.