graduation dinner (Class of 2022-2023). After completing the year-long programme and all its three stages, the adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) leadership trainees joined the LEMHs Alumni community. Along with receiving certificates, the new alumni also had the opportunity to hold panel discussions with leaders from the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Women, and Tag a Life International (TaLI). Hosted by the TaLI Director Ms Nyari Mashayamombe, the intergenerational dialogue focused on; the realities of leaning into leadership positions for women and girls, how to raise girls and young women in leadership, challenges being faced, opportunities that are available and the need for equality as a basic human right.
The Leadership, Economic, and Mentorship Hubs Programme (LEMHs) by TaLI, is an ongoing one year gender transformative leadership program that targets young women aged 16-24 to equip and empower them with knowledge of their rights and leadership skills to start change-making movements in their communities.
The programme trains girls and young women (and young men occasionally) from various provinces and backgrounds including both those in tertiary institutions and those in communities who are victims or survivors of gender-based violence, as well as those simply passionate about women’s issues and change, aiming to build their voices and equip them with the agency and life skills to address issues within their communities. During the one-year-long programme, trainees learn about Human Rights, Democracy, Leadership, SRHR, GBV, psycho social support, Economic Empowerment, Citizenry Participation, Governance, ICTs, and Advocacy. The training is facilitated by successful Zimbabwean leaders including activists, politicians, and entrepreneurs who impart their knowledge to the young future leaders.
To effectively implement the leadership programme and raise young women leaders who are ready to take up various leadership roles in their families, communities and nation, as well as to raise the global leaders to close the gender gap, TaLI implements the one year leadership programme in three stages namely; Youths Empowered for Growth (YEG), Youth Engaging Local Leaders (YELL), and Youth Engaging in Hubs (YEIH). LEMHsters (young women enrolled onto the programme) are required to first complete the YEG stage, which is a 12-day boot camp training facilitated by female experts in thematic areas including Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), HIV/AIDS, Covid-19, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), information Technologies, Governance and Inter-sectionalities. During the boot camp, young women are educated and equipped to master leadership, advocacy and movement-building skills through their interfaces.
Upon completion of the boot camp and with the support of the secretariat, LEMHsters then move onto the action-oriented stage, YELL; here, the young leaders create and implement community programmes and build movements addressing various issues according to our thematic areas that they will have developed passion upon. These include issues of GBV and Peace Building, gender discrimination, Climate and Environment issues, Financial Literacy, SRHR amongst other issues that they leant during the boot camp. For GBV related movements, the programs aim to address community issues by strengthening transparency and accountability within traditional and modern justice systems. The young leaders are all required to work with local leaders in their communities during this period. This not only promotes intergenerational leadership as the girls are exchanging with their local leaders both women and men, but it also positively changes the social narrative on women in leadership positions, proving that women are capable to lead just as well as men.
As the LEMHsters continue in their leadership journey with us, they gain access to TaLI’s hubs for resources that they need to implement their programs, building movements and continue growing as young leaders through provision of internet, computers, support for applications for more opportunities, networking and learning conferences, participating in Civil Society as leaders, regionally and international. The YEIH stage furthers the LEMHsters movement into addressing national issues through organised workshops with members of parliament in advocacy, through this TaLI has managed to push for laws and policies that promote the rights of young women and girls such as the Education Amendment Act of 2020. The space is also for the young women to build their own solidarity and support each other In leadership through monthly physical or online check-ins organised by TaLI secretariat.
Upon completion of their one year, even though the LEMHsters graduate as we saw a few days ago, they are commissioned into the LEMHs Alumni network where they join fellow leaders dating as back as 2018 to form a mega network of young women within TaLI. As alumni
LEMHsters continue to engage and participate with TaLI in its network hubs and have support from TaLI and its partners. The alumni becomes a resource for the upcoming and new classes to train and support in areas of expertise and they continue to enjoy the YEIH opportunities while also a strong voice for advocacy on young women’s issues. Some of the alumni members are invited to join the TaLI advisory Board to influence its programming and governance with special interest in advancing the LEMHs programme and young women’s leadership participation.
The 2022-2023 class of LEMHsters was supported by African Women Development Fund-AWDF, Global Fund for Women-GFW and Bill Cook Foundation.
Tag is an Life International Trust (TaLI), adolescent girls and young women’s rights organisation working in Zimbabwe and African to advance the rights of girls and young women. The 2022-2023 class of LEMHsters was supported by African Women Development Fund-AWDF, Global Fund for Women-GFW and Bill Cook Foundation.