Who We Are – YWCA Zambia

YWCA Zambia

Who We Are

About
YWCA Zambia

YWCA Zambia is a Christian, Membership, Non-partisan, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to the empowerment of the community (especially women, youth and children) to contribute to the attainment of a just society through rights- based approaches and sustainable interventions. The organisation’s works aims at contributing towards the implementation of National plans and policies such as Zambia’s Vision 2030; the Seventh National Development Plan; Gender, Child and Youth Policies, National HIV & AIDS Strategic Framework etc. and also the World YWCA Vision which states that “By 2035, 100 million young women and girls transform power structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without violence and war; leading a sustainable YWCA movement, inclusive of all women.”

YWCA is one of the oldest women’s organizations and since its inception in
Kitwe, Zambia in 1957, YWCA has continued to stand at the fore front of social change and tackling gender injustices such as gender based violence, including child marriage and sexual reproductive health rights violations. YWCA is operational in 9 provinces and 51 districts of Zambia focusing on its primary target namely women, youth and children. The organisation equally embraces working with men and boys as critical change agents in its programming in order to holistically tackle gender based violence and promote gender equality.

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OUR VISION

“A safe and gender sensitive Zambia with equal opportunities, good health and good quality of life for all.”

YWCA has in the years of its existence vigorously embarked on formulating and implementing interventions to eliminate gender-based discrimination as a strategy towards creating more equal societies. This is in view of the fact that Sustainable development cannot be achieved without the equal participation of women and men and where gender injustices are highly prevalent. Gender inequalities have a large and wide-ranging impact on society. For example, they can contribute to gender inequities in health and access to health care, opportunities for employment and promotion, levels of income, political participation and representation and education. Often inequalities in gender
increase the risk of acts of gender based violence (WHO).

Interventions that address gender imbalances remain at the centre of YWCA’s programming.
Therefore, the policy elements, strategies and interventions guiding the implementation of this plan will contribute to the promotion, protection and supporting the rights of communities, especially the rights of women, youths and children in our quest to attain gender equality through rights based approaches and sustainable interventions in order to actualize YWCA’s vision.

In order to effectively implement the above programmes, YWCA will rely on the following Key strategies: Advocacy & Awareness Raising; GBV, HIV & SRH Service Provision; Male involvement; Capacity development; Community Mobilisation and networking and mainstreaming gender, disability and climatechange.

The achievements the organisation has made in the previous strategic periods have been used as a launching platform for even greater achievements in next strategic periods. Every strategic plan helps YWCA to contribute to Zambia’s Gender Agenda by aligning to key international, regional and national human rights instruments, laws and policies on gender equality and the empowerment of women.