Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe

Two women, Thembelihle Terry-Lynne Zulu and Buhlebenkosi Mhlanga, founded Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe in 2013 as a social club for girls and women in hopes that it would address the lack of an informal club for women to just come together and have fun and build friendships.

This club was to help women to share their experiences and advise each other on their respective grievances. It then developed and women started to share opportunities amongst each other which led to their ultimate development.

There had been a low turn-out rate for women’s opportunities in the country due to faulty mobilization and technology has allowed for mobilization and the raising of awareness to be more effective and thus women are benefitting from opportunities that are presented to them.

Girl Grandeur Zimbabwe informs policymakers about girls' needs locally and nationally. The organization educates the media about critical issues facing girls. The founders were concerned about the unique issues that were plaguing young girls in this digital era and they realized that these were different from the conventional issues that are addressed by NGOs and women’s organizations.

They felt that young girls needed a recreational space that would be fun and beneficial at the same time. The founders attributed the prevalent drug and substance abuse, high teenage pregnancy rates and declining national pass rate to the lack of youth centres, clubs and recreational centres where girls could spend time. These dedicated women knew that these girls just needed some guidance from mentors to reach their goals.

As the virtual club grew, in 2015 GGZ decided to register as an official club under the Zimbabwe Youth Council to fully support the members. The organization continues to grow and is currently fundraising to procure a physical property which will act as a hub for women and girls.