Girls Choose

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Girls Choose project is aimed at raising awareness on child, early and forced marriages as well as creating an enabling environment for the elimination of child, early and forced marriages in Masvingo Urban and Chivi Districts of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. The project seeks to empower young girls to influence policy makers and stakeholders in their constituencies to enact and enforce laws against child marriage.

ABOUT ONWARD

Follow Onward on Twitter at @OnnyGibbs

Onward is the Executive Director of My Age Zimbabwe Trust, a youth-led organization committed to using volunteerism and youth-friendly communication strategies to enhance youth participation and youth empowerment in developmental processes. He is currently the National Facilitator of the Young People's Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV and AIDS (YPNSRHHA). Through the network, with support from UNFPA Zimbabwe and the National AIDS Council, he has been trained in using advocacy and using social media to raise awareness on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS issues.

Onward represented young people at the National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Forum, where he witnessed the introduction of comprehensive sexuality education in schools and the development of the parent to child communication package, supported by UNFPA. He has represented Zimbabwe in various local and regional platforms including the 2015 Global Fund Partnership Forum and the 2015 Girls Not Brides Global Members Meeting, among others. Onward is part of the Youth Engage ACT2015 Alliance, a group advocating for youth issues to be part of the post-2015 agenda. His vision is to see a community where young people have access to comprehensive information on sexual and reproductive health, including comprehensive sexuality education.