Feminist boys club emerges
VICTORIA FALLS-A Victoria Falls man has launched a boys’ club aimed at raising responsible men who will advance the rights of women.
Frank Chikosi hopes his Trial Blazers Boys Club would ensure that women are treated fairly and afforded the same opportunities as men.
“Through my wife’s work with a girl empowerment club, l realised that such girl child empowerment initiatives cannot be complete without involving boys in the equation,” he said as he stressed that boys needed to be trained to treat women as equals.
Chikosi said the empowerment of women was never meant to belittle men but to complement them in society. “We seek to produce men who believe that if women are given the same opportunities, they can assist with developing our communities,” he said.
According to Chikosi, the main challenge is trying to change the mindset of the boy child in a partriachal society. “Society deems men who support women to be weak. After attending our meetings, the boys go back to a society that upholds such beliefs hence we have a big challenge to change the mindset. It is a work in progress,” he said.
“We are taught on how to behave towards girls, gender equality, puberty ,drug abuse, the importance of role models among other important topics. Our mentor also encourages academic excellence,” said Junior Rufaro, a member of the club.
Sijabuliso Ncube ,a resident of Victoria Falls hailed the Trial Blazers Club for supporting women and completing the girl empowerment cycle.
“To achieve a gender just society in which our daughters are safe, equal and free, boys and girls must be taught to complement each other as equals,” she said.
