Adolescent Girls at Risk - African Centre for Disaster Studies - NWU

Adolescent Girls at Risk: The GIRRL Program as a Capacity-Building Initiative... 245group from Ventersdorp has gone so far as to replicate the teachings provided bythe GIRRL Program to other girls in their school (Tching, ongoing).Figure 5. Girls from the Ikageng Township visit a local primary school toconduct a fire safety demonstration with the Tlokwe FireDepartmentCritical Moments and Lessons LearnedThe program reflected a number of critical issues that women and girls too oftenface. Without understanding their “cause and effect” it becomes difficult to devisestrategies for creating change. If participants cannot understand the conditionscontributing to their social vulnerability, it is not feasible (or fair) to expect thatthey could effectively address the problems. Education is a tool that can providenot only information but serve as a means for changing attitudes and buildingconfidence.The participating girls can utilize the confidence developed through theirinvolvement in a leadership program to serve their communities, which enrichestheir social power, warrants respect and recognition. Ultimately the girls wereengaged in risk assessment in their communities as well as encouraged to takeaction by communicating risk to their respective settlements. Youth have beendisregarded in many areas of society; however, this program has illustrated howadolescent girls can be involved in disaster risk reduction as agents of change.