GCNova: Girl Child Network Worldwide at Villanova: in honor of fall break...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

in honor of fall break...

to celebrate the impending end of Midterms Week and to usher in ten beautiful days of Fall Break, i thought it was necessary (and by necessary, i mean entertaining) to post a couple quick, random, completely-unrelated links...

Honestly, who wouldn't want a new Funktiontide pillow?! This thing looks absolutely amazing. A little weird, yes, but I bet it is the most comfortable companion in the world. Apparently, some of the advertising for the new pillow touts it as the ultimate aid for the lonely and depressed, but who cares... even if you're already happy and content, the addition of this pillow to your life would probably only make things even better! Please buy me one.
On the other hand, maybe you should just save up to your dollars to buy one of these awesome cupcake cars??! That is, if you have $25,000 to spare. And, if you don't mind traveling at 7 miles per hour everywhere you go, in a car shaped like a frosted dessert treat. But hey, it's electrically powered, so at least it's environmentally friendly?

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about us.

Inspired by the heroic story of Betty Makoni, GCNova is a collaborative student organization founded by Jessica Lu (’11) and formed to support the proper treatment of women in our schools, communities, nations, and the world. On October 1, 2009, GCNova officially launched as an organization of the Center for Peace and Justice Education at Villanova University.

In Zimbabwe, of the southern region of Africa, concerns of poverty, political violence, homelessness, starvation, public health, and unemployment overwhelm public consciousness. However, other important issues of individual rights and protections are often overlooked. One such issue is the tragic exploitation of primarily young women. In Zimbabwe, traditional healers have long perpetuated the belief that a man can cure his own HIV/AIDS infection by raping a virgin. This belief has become so deeply entrenched in the psyche of Zimbabwe that even infants have been mercilessly sexually assaulted.

Makoni, a Zimbabwe native and child rape survivor, became so concerned with the staggering incidence of HIV/AIDS, rape, and promulgation of the so-called “virgin myth” in her country (and others throughout Africa) that she decided to give girls a space where they can talk, find support, and uncover solutions. And so, in 1999, Girl Child Network (GCN) was born. After just one year, there were 100 GCN clubs throughout Zimbabwe. Eventually, Makoni founded the group’s first empowerment village, a haven for female victims of abuse, where girls could receive medical treatment, an education, counseling, and the encouragement to become their own healers—transforming victims to leaders. Now, GCN has grown to include over 700 girls’ clubs and three empowerment villages across Zimbabwe. Approximately 300,000 girls have received help from Makoni’s organization.

Scorned for her efforts, Makoni was forced to leave Zimbabwe and relocated with her family to the UK. In 2009, she teamed up with Priscilla Nyathi to form the Girl Child Network Worldwide (GCNW). In partnership with the DOVE project, a domestic violence awareness group based in Essex, England, the Girl Child Network Worldwide (and Girl Child Network Trust Fund UK) hopes to spread the message of Zimbabwe's GCN to the international stage. The worldwide organization officially launched on September 4, 2009 in the UK.

GCNova hopes to bring GCNW's efforts to the Villanova community, making a stand for women, children, and victims of sexual violence all over the globe.

GCNova: Girl Child Network Worldwide at Villanova

Thursday, October 8, 2009

in honor of fall break...

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