STEKA VOCATIONAL SKILLS CENTRE ENGAGES CHIEFS TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND PROMOTE EDUCATION

by Gift Thompson and Tereza Maseko

STEKA and STEKAskills are committed to stopping the Gender Based Violence which girls can be subjected to at sexual initiation ceremonies.  The practice of Kusasa-Fumbi (removal of the dust) which can take place at these ceremonies is illegal but is still part of events which teach young girls how to be wives who serve a husband.  As these ceremonies often take place over the school holidays, the STEKA Vocational Skills Centre team had an important meeting with Village Chiefs surrounding the Centre before the holidays began. The main agenda was to find joint solutions to stop children from being taken to sexually-related initiation ceremonies that disrupt their education and traumatise them. The Chiefs and STEKA Vocational Skills Centre agreed to work together to sensitise parents on the dangers of early sexual initiation for children, to encourage all children to remain in school, create community bylaws that protect children and promote child rights, and strengthen collaboration between STEKA, parents, and traditional leaders. Watch our film about these camps on our STEKAskills Youtube channel.