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FSNT Executive Director Evernice Munando was part of Zimbabwean women civil society leaders who joined U.S Embassy for an interactive web chat with international experts on Empowering Women’s Political Participation. The Department of State — Office of Global Women’s Issues sponsored the discussion and provided participants with tools to overcome barriers, prevent violence against women in politics, and empower women’s participation in political processes. Moderated in Harare by Political and Economic Counselor Heidi Gómez, women leaders participated from 25 locations across the Americas and Africa, including the American Corner in Bulawayo.

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28 January 2020 PRESS STATEMENT ON THE RECENT FEES HIKES

For Immediate Release

Female Students Network Trust (FSNT) is deeply disturbed about the recent sky rocketed fees hikes as this has become a bitter pill to swallow for Zimbabweans who are wallowing in poverty due to the prevailing economic conditions.

The Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Honourable Murwira recently announced that fees for all state-owned tertiary institutions must be increased to up to ZW5000 a move that will see civil servants struggling to meet this mark as they are currently receiving an average salary of ZW1300 per month.

This mind gobbling difference between salaries and fees range had put both parents and students at a tight spot and the girl child is the most affected one as they are the most vulnerable group who would fall prey to sexual abuses in their quest to make ends meet.

As a Network of Students, we employ the government to consider revising the school fees in manner that would make it affordable to civil servants and at the same time allow the institutions to deliver quality education. At this juncture we ought to think that, it is sober for the relevant authorities especially the government to subsidize school fees in tertiary institutions.

#FeesMustBeAffordable #StepUp #GirlsFirst #SmartGirlsSafety

YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

5th Floor, North Wing, Kopje Plaza

 NetOne Building, 1 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare

 Contacts; +263 775 054 755/ +263 772 959 590

  Email: femalestudent2011@gmail.com

  www.femalestudentsnetwork.org

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20 January 2020 PRESS STATEMENT ON THE MALICIOUS MESSAGE AGAINST OUR ORGANISATION

For Immediate Release

The Female Students Network Trust would like to completely distance itself from the message flighted on social media linking the Network to an event planned by a certain political party. The statement about FSNT’s participation in the said event is false

The message has a list of organisations which are said to be going to attend a rally of a certain political party tomorrow 21 January 2020 after providing money for transportation of members to the event.  FSNT never attended the said meeting at SAPES Offices nor have we received any money from anyone to transport our members to any political rally.  

FSNT is a credible organisation that is completely apolitical with no connections to any political party. We have a very clear mandate which is of empowering female students and championing gender equality in institutions of learning. We appeal to all citizens of Zimbabwe to do a back ground check of the work that FSNT has done for our constituency for decades.

We advise our stakeholders, partners and students who are under our constituency not to take heed to these messages and not attend any gathering of any political party under the name of the Network. FSNT continues to be nonpartisan in the work that we do.

#StepUp #GirlsFirst #SmartGirlsSafety

YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

5th Floor, North Wing, Kopje Plaza

 NetOne Building,  1 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare

 Contacts; +263 775 054 755/ +263 772 959 590

  Email: femalestudent2011@gmail.com

  www.femalestudentsnetwork.org

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“Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable”

Female Students Network Trust (FSNT) joins the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child under this year’s theme: “Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable”. This day reminds us of nearly 25 years ago, when about 30,000 women and men from nearly 200 countries arrived in Beijing, China for the Fourth World Conference on Women, determined to recognize the rights of women and girls as human rights. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: the most comprehensive policy agenda for the empowerment of women.

FSNT is pleased with this year’s theme which ought to celebrate achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action as it is in tangent with our just ended 14th anniversary theme where we were celebrating 14 years of empowering female students. We are happy that we have managed to achieve numerous and notable feats since we started advocating for gender equality and the upliftment of the girl child although a lot still needs to be done.

However, we are made to celebrate this day with mixed feelings prompted by the recently published video showing high levels of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions of Nigeria and Ghana. This is a wake-up call for the whole of Africa to #StepUp and fight against sexual harassment. We reiterate that sexual harassment is real and its rampant in educational institutions with current statistic reflecting the girl child as the most affected one. We plead with the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Committee (SADC) to start working on crafting policies and chatters that directly deals with sexual harassment.

Locally, we call on our government to enact a law on sexual harassment. We continue to lobby for the adherence of human rights in particular women’s rights and the championing of gender equality.

#StepUp

#GirlsFirst

#SmartGirlsSafety

YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

5th Floor, North Wing, Kopje Plaza

 NetOne Building,  1 Jason Moyo Avenue, Harare

 Contacts; +263 775 054 755/ +263 772 959 590

  Email: femalestudent2011@gmail.com