Msichana Initiative advocates for a girl’s rights to education — without discrimination. They inspire young girls to shape their own futures and to speak up against the gendered socio-economic norms that impede their personal development. Through empowerment, advocacy, and strategic policy reform, the initiative envisions a Tanzanian society where the rights of girls are safeguarded and continually advanced.
- Tanzania
- Human Rights, Education, and Youth
- 3,281 free or affordable sanitary pads distributed to girls and women across the country
- 550+ bikes given to girls who live more than 10 kilometers from the nearest school, allowing these students to continue their education
- 81,515 lives were transformed through Msichana Initiative’s work with young girls aged 10-25
- 15 Msichana Cafes, or spaces where community members engage with the initiative, have been established in three regions — Dodoma, Shinyanga and Tabora
- Founder Rebeca Gyumi won a landmark case on child marriages, as a result Tanzania Marriage Act, 1971 which allowed girls as young as 14 to get married, was amended to raise the minimum age to 18
- Msichana Initiative, in partnership with Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Coalition, worked together through the social media campaign #PediBilaKodi to lobby the government to restrain from resuming the VAT that was previously exempted on sanitary pads
Rebeca Gyumi
Rebeca Gyumi is a Founder & Executive Director at Msichana Initiative, a local NGO which aims to empower a girl child through education, and address key challenges which limit girl’s right to education. She has worked for over 8 years with Femina, a youth focused organisation as a TV personality and youth advocate.
A lawyer by profession, Rebeca pursued and won a landmark case on child marriages, through the petition she filed at the High Court of Tanzania to challenge the Tanzania Marriage Act, 1971 which allowed girls as young as 14 to get married. The decision which raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 for both boys and girls.
Rebeca has vast experience working on youth engagement and advocacy. She has been at the forefront of advocating for various youth issues through the organizations she has been a member of and through her individual initiatives as a volunteer and ambassador.
When we are empowering young girls to obtain education we are not only promoting gender equality in communities but we are changing narratives and transforming norms and beliefs that limit girls from unleashing their potential through education.
