Being a Woman to me Means Freedom. It is to be Simultaneously Vulnerable and Resilient.

Tendai Nzuma based in Edmonton, Alberta, is Vice President of The Grace and Nelly Project dedicated to empowering the girl child in Zimbabwe. The Grace and Nelly Project is a non-profit group that is dedicated to the reduction of poverty in rural communities in Zimbabwe through the empowerment and education of women and girls. “We do this by providing women and girls with skills-based training, engaging in sustainable job creation and menstrual health advocacy, and reducing barriers to education such as the inability to access menstrual health products”.

The Grace and Nelly Project was started in 2016 by Ruvimbo Chimutsa who named the organisation after her two grandmothers who both contributed to their communities and inspired her to give back to hers. The Grace and Nelly Project is run by a board of directors who volunteer their time and expertise to the development and growth of the project. The majority of the board is based across Canada with a couple of board members and volunteers on the ground in Zimbabwe. The Grace and Nelly Project currently focuses their efforts on communities in Zimbabwe. However, their Healthier Happier Periods are reusable sanitary wear that is manufactured and sold in Canada and the proceeds are used to fund their ventures in Zimbabwe.

Tendai Nzuma offered some information on The Grace and Nelly Project through a phone interview with Danai Ratisai (on behalf of Girl Power Effect) on March 3, 2022.

Please share with us what the Grace and Nelly Project is about?

The Grace and Nelly Project is a non-profit that is dedicated to the reduction of poverty in rural communities in Zimbabwe through the empowerment and education of women and girls in those communities. We do this by providing women and girls with skills-based training, engaging in sustainable job creation and menstrual health advocacy, and reducing barriers to education such as the inability to access menstrual health products.

What inspired your team to focus on the girl child in Zimbabwe?

Over the last two decades, Zimbabwe's economic situation has become increasingly dire. Upon looking closely at the effects of this situation, we found that the hardest-hit group was women and girls. For the girl child, this meant a lack of access to education opportunities, early marriage and an increasing incidence of sexual abuse. We sought to rectify this issue, prompting us to start the Grace and Nelly Project.

What does being a woman mean to you?

Being a woman to me means freedom. It is to be simultaneously vulnerable and resilient, as well as kind, compassionate and valiant.

What are the hopes and dreams for the Grace and Nelly Project and the girls that are able to access these resources through your initiative?

In 2021 the Grace and Nelly Project launched a social enterprise arm, Happy Healthier Periods, where we manufacture and sell reusable menstrual products. Through the social enterprise, the Grace and Nelly Project will provide direct employment to women and girls in rural communities, as well as subsidize the cost of menstrual products for those that cannot afford them. For the girls that access our initiatives, we hope that will be able to gain the freedom they deserve to express their womanhood, however, they choose to define it, unencumbered by their economic circumstances and limited opportunities.

For more information on the Grace and Nelly Project, please visit their website: https://www.graceandnelly.org/