Youth Development Foundation

Gender is one of the challenging factors among the youths and it has been overlooked as the issue of women and girls only. This perception has brought about a lot of mixed feelings among young men.

YDF has recognized the lack of participation and involvement of the youths, especially males of the communities in the issues of gender and has therefore put up a deliberate policy and objectives on how to deal with it. 

Based on our objective number two, we realize that gender is an important aspect not only for women but for the men as well, because based on the definition of a gender; it’s just the ability of being male or female.

Therefore YDF realizes the need of going out to the communities and schools, to educate the youths on gender. Informing them that gender is not only about females but males as well and the women cannot fight inequality without the support of men.

 Women are affected more because they are told that 

• They are second-class citizen in the society.
• Their place is in the kitchen.
• A girl has to do all the chores of the house while a boy rests. 

It is for this reason that YDF wants to educate the communities of Eastern province and Chipata District in particular on the positive approach to gender issues.

Currently YDF works with 40 schools in the communities, which include, secondary schools, institutions of higher learning and basic schools.

YDF’s Gender Programme will focus on working with young people in the peri-urban communities of Chipata to educate them about the rights of women and men, and ways in which they can successfully challenge gender inequality.

The gender programme has 2 strands. The first is a series of workshops in the peri-urban communities of Chipata to establish YDF clubs in which participants will challenge inequality in both their personal lives and communities. The second is a training scheme for young people, particularly women, in using internet and email.

Gender inequality in chipata

Research into gender carried out by the Youth Development Foundation has found that gender inequality is still rife in the Eastern Province. There was a significant disparity between the amount of money and spare time available to young men and women. Moreover, many of the people surveyed did not believe that men and women should enjoy equal standards.
On November 28th YDF members surveyed 30 men and 30 women aged between 15 and 25 in Mchini, one of the most disadvantaged compounds in Chipata. While the average young man had ZK 73,000 (US$17) per week to spend, young women had ZK 23,000 (US$5). This was coupled with the fact that young women had to spend significantly more time doing household chores.
While it will take time for inequality to reduce, the attitudes of the young people surveyed demonstrated the huge need for action on this issue: 43% of respondents said that men and women should not have equal rights under Zambian law.
Commenting on the findings of the survey, Henry Namwenda, a volunteer member of YDF’s gender team said
“The findings of this research confirm the huge need to continue challenging gender inequality in Zambia. Both sexes are held back by these attitudes.”
YDF’s 2007 Gender Programme will focus on establishing YDF clubs in 6 peri-urban communities in Chipata to challenge gender inequality. YDF are also planning the Get Connected Project to train 100 young people (two-thirds women) in how to use email and the internet. These young people will then have the opportunity to engage in development activity using the computers on a regular basis.
If you want to make a donation towards YDF’s gender programme email youthdevelopmentfoundation@yahoo.com for more details.

Get Connected Project

The Get Connected Project, supported by the German Embassy will train 100 young people in Chipata, two thirds of whom will be women, in how to use email and the internet. They will be able to use the computers regularly for activities such as researching information on Anti-Retroviral drugs, writing to their MP and using resources such as business plan and CV templates.

People under 25 make up over half of the population of Chipata and as such their participation is rucial in the development of a more prosperous Zambia. Currently, young people lack access to the nternet and email due to the high cost and lack of training. This excludes them from finding information on issues such as anti-retroviral drugs. The situation is worse for young women who have less access to education, disposable income and free time, and are rarely seen as equal decision-makers. Less than one in every 200 Zambians has regular access to the internet, while in Western Europe the figure is more like one in two. YDF’s Get Connected Project aims to empower young men and women to participate in development using the internet.