HerStory

Glanis Changachirere was born in rural communal lands of Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. Like many peasants families relying farming, her parents struggled to fund her education in a society dictating that the girl child is not worth investing in.  She confronted and challenged these beliefs and practices and managed to fund herself all the way to University.   Driven by the desire to fulfill her vision of fighting for the rights of  fellow sisters in marginalized communities  , the majority of whom could not see the door of a classroom,  the majority of whom were married off as young as the age of 12 because religion allowed it, the majority of whom were born in abject poverty, knew only of poverty and never believed that there can be another life outside their confines, the majority of who contented to Violence Against Women (VAW) even after the country had passed an anti -domestic violence law, the majority who despised and labeled other girls and young women because they were going outside the societal dictates and boundaries and pursued their studies,  Institute for Young Women Development (IYWD) was born in 2009.  The IYWD has created and facilitated space for marginalised young women and girls to have a collective voice to challenge oppressive systems and structural barriers