The Girls and Women Empowerment and Network is a registered Trust organization that works in the communities of Greater Harare and peripheries. Although the geographic area of coverage is quite expansive for the comprehensive layered methodology of the organization’s programming model, the organization takes a community-focussed approach to ensure that at any given time, program activities target a manageable number of people.
The organization was formally registered in 2015, following years of acitivities and work with communities, and has since been making efforts to empower adolescent girls and young women in all spheres of life in ways that respect the law to promote, protect and provide for girls and young women in Zimbabwe. GWEN works to eliminate factors that increase girls and young women’s vulnerability and prevent them from enjoying their full God-given and constitutional rights. These factors include among others poverty, physical impairments, sexual gender-based violence (SGBV), discrimination and abuse. To this end, the organization’s formation was necessitated by the numerous challenges vulnerable adolescent girls and young women face at school, at home, work and in the society i.e. the lack of safe places for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) including those escaping domestic violence and the absence of means to access safe spaces and protection services. It is through acknowledging that AGYW face numerous challenges, coming together to increase vulnerability, that the organization drew manadate to work across the broad covering various thematic areas.The organization has offices in Chitungwiza and a team of officers led by the Director. There is a board in place whose members bring oversight on a wide range of issues including programming and administration. The board members were selected on the basis of their skills, passion and experience.

INNOVATION

GWEN is open to and values new and creative ways in its fight to end the abuse and exploitation of adolescent girls and young women; both, innovation in the work environment and innovation in equipment and strategies applied

Integrity

GWEN works to deliver programs in honesty, truth, consistency and openness being accountable and transparent to stakeholders and beneficiaries in words and deed at all times.

Love and Commitment

GWEN executes its duties from the heart. Our work is inspired by personal stories and the value of every human and their respect for life. In love, there is compassion and passion about what we do as GWEN. Also our work aims to create safe spaces where girls and women and their communities can thrive. GWEN recognises the worth of every individual treating all with dignity regardless of circumstances

PROFFESSIONALISM

GWEN seeks to be professional in the execution of its duties, support to beneficiaries and partnerships with stakeholders. A professional environment guarantees commitment on all partners and ensures programme continuity.

Team Work

GWEN believes that every person has a role to play and every effort to end exploitation of girls and women is appreciated. Thus, we are guided by the Shona idiom, ‘gunwe rimwe haritswanyi inda’ meaning: no person can succeed on their own

VISION

A Zimbabwe where the rights of girls and young women are respected, promoted and fulfilled.

MISSION

To build the capacity of adolescent girls and young women as well as to provide them with support and platforms for engagement in pursuit of their empowerment in all spheres of life.