Langalakhe Mabena
Eveline High School pupil Praise Dube (16) is among 20 delegates chosen by the Justice for Children and Plan Zimbabwe to represent the girl child at this year’s African Child Led Conference.
The conference which will be held in Egypt is set for November.
Praise, who is in Form Three, advocates for the observation and protection of the girl child’s rights.
She stands for girls to be given fair treatment and be afforded equal opportunities with their counterparts.
In an interview with B-Metro, the soft spoken and shy pupil revealed that she was happy to be part of the delegation that will stand for every girl child in Zimbabwe and she said she would present the issues that affect Zimbabwean girls.
“I am excited to have been chosen to represent the girl child in Egypt. This is an opportunity that I will grab with both hands and make sure I exhaust all the issues that affect an African girl child.
“A lot of girls in Zimbabwe are sidelined by the law as many of them are forced into child marriages while some drop out of school because of teenage and unwanted pregnancies. These are some of the issues I will be tackling in Egypt,” said Dube.
Thabani Moyo, who is a teacher and Dube’s patron revealed that Eveline High was in full support of her and they knew she would deliver because of her intelligence.
“Praise is a hard-working young lady who has a passion to succeed at all times when it comes to tasks given to her and as Eveline we support her in everything she does because she is the voice of many African girls out there who are voiceless and we trust she will deliver her message in Egypt,” said Moyo.
In advocating for children’s rights, Dube conveys her message through discussions, performances like storytelling and poetry. She uses these performances to provoke discussions around issues of children’s rights.
She is part of a team that seeks to help children to understand children’s rights as stated in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
