Giving Aunties Love

It's early afternoon in Victoria Falls when Smokey, the amazing coordinator for Global Sojourns Giving Circle-Zimbabwe, and I walk into a classroom of 30 girls seated in a circle with their auntie, Procedure. Auntie is the title of the women who work with each group of girls at the Giving Circle as their teacher, confidant, and support system. Procedure asks the girls to tell me what the girls club means to them. After a long pause (that apparently exists in every classroom around the world when a teachers asks a question), one girl after the next stands up to tell me what they have taken away from their experience with the GSGC. The GSGC works to empower girls and help them articulate their goals and dreams in communities throughout Southern Africa. I am left awe struck by the power, confidence and grace in which each young woman tells their story. Smokey transitions the group into an exercise in which the girls are told to fill in the blank to the prompt, "I am...". One young lady confidently walks up to the board and writes, "I am the light of my life".

In a world where girls grow up being told by society that as women, there are certain expectations and thus limitations that are an inevitable part of life, it is vital for these women of the future to be taught and to truly understand that their value is self determined. The Giving Circle and all of its incredible efforts would not be possible without Aunties like Procedure. The work of the Aunties is so vitally important to the future of these impressive young women. Spending time with all of these admirable ladies was such a gift so I wanted to reach out to the incredible people in my life to help support this important cause. 

It is my goal to raise enough money to pay for the salary of one Auntie for one year. The Aunties are the key to the Giving Circle program and by making sure that they can be there to help these young women I know that their work will impact generations of women in Zimbabwe. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my experience and if you'd like to learn more about this awesome organization and would like to donate, please check out the link below!

https://www.gsgivingcircle.org/