The Institute for Young Women's Development (IYWD) is a vibrant young feminist organization whose approach and work is informed by the voices and experiences of young women in marginalized communities. We are committed to mobilizing and strengthening the voice and power of young women through building their capacity on human rights and equality so that they organize themselves, demand accountability and challenge systems, structures and all forms of discrimination. Since its formation in 2009, IYWD has successfully mobilized more than 5000 marginalized young women and girls across Zimbabwe to be conscious of and are now practicing their socio-economic and political responsibilities to live a life of their choice. We do this through engaging authentically, assertively and courageously with the Government of Zimbabwe, independent commissions, corporations, traditional chiefs, religious leaders, family and with each other. Daily we challenge the status quo and systems that marginalize young women and our main thrust is to ensure that they are eliminated.

Guided by feminist principles, IYWD are constantly rethinking our strategies to ensure that sudden changes to our context do not disrupt the gains we have made in our work. Having been presented with the current Covid-19 pandemic - which exposed the deep and multi-faceted social inequalities and the unspoken and dissecting forms of oppression that have continued to exacerbate the plight of young women in their quest for a better world - it was mandatory for us to devise mechanisms towards feminist recovery and rebuilding.

We strongly believe that even during the pandemic, young women can galvanize their efforts towards building a critical mass for an agile feminist movement. Through storytelling, young women’s lived experiences are critical for exploring strategies that they have been using to challenge existing ideologies as a strategy to recover, redefine and rebuild themselves beyond the Covid-19 crisis.

Follow IYWD on Twitter: @YoungWomenInst