Breaking Taboos and Building Barriers in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley
- GSGC
- Jul 28, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 16
Fwilane is one of GSGC’s longest serving mentors, starting with Project Luangwa 10 years ago in 2015. Project Luangwa’s first girls’ club was sparked by GSGC in 2013. After the clubs were piloted, GSGC helped to identify Fwilane to lead club the programme at Project Luangwa. Since then Fwilane has taken the helm and grown the clubs into what they are today. Here, she gives her account of what motivates her within her work, the challenges she has faced and the changes she has seen in the youth she works with.
How I came to be at Project Luangwa
“I joined Project Luangwa in 2015, when its gender program launched in direct response to observed challenges—particularly for girls, arising from poverty, early marriages, early pregnancy and abuse. These challenges disrupted the schooling of girls. Today, we’ve grown from that pilot to supporting (524) of youth in 20 clubs: five clubs that are managed by myself and a trainee mentor Dorica the other 15 “satellite” clubs in schools that we’ve been collaborating with in the past six years.
Coming straight out of secondary school, I knew my options were limited: My parents by then could not afford to take me to college or university. So, I joined different non-governmental organizations, as a volunteer. When I joined Project Luangwa, I was given the leeway and the freedom to do programs in a way that I felt confident. That freedom let me immerse myself in local customs and begin building safe spaces from the ground up.”
Breaking Taboos & Building Trust
As Fwilane was not from the community and grew up in a matriarchal family where gender equality was positively affirmed, she faced challenges and pushback from the community.
“Almost immediately, I had to confront a deep stigma. For example, when I first tried to talk about menstrual hygiene, I realized issues related to menstruation are taboo. They are not supposed to be discussed, either by females or males, publicly. I had no clue how I was going to tackle this issue of menstrual health, and this made me quite worried, but that did not make me retreat or lose focus.
At the same time, advocating against gender-based violence felt like pushing uphill. Early on, community members labeled me arrogant for the advocacy I was doing in the community, which only underscored how deep the barriers were.”
From Pushback to Progress
Determined to break the silence, Fwilane combined creativity with cultural sensitivity and partnered with a local theatre troupe.
“First, I took time to study the cultural norms in the area, I listened and sat with different people to understand and segment different types of information. The first step I identified was using community theatre, so I partnered with a 20-year professional theater troupe Sensitazation Education for Kunda Arts (SEKA) that had been working in the area for many years: We figured out that going out in the community with a play would make members of the community share different stories. Once the play is done, they’ll then share stories—by the fireplace, at the well drawing water in the morning, even in school and when they are sitting with family and friends.
During the time of the different performances we believe people got great messaging through the community theater. So, menstrual health awareness work through Project Luangwa has largely been championed through community theatre. This has led to our beneficiaries, the youth, using poetry, writing and one on one interactions on days like Menstrual Hygiene Day, International Day of the Girl Child and Human Rights Day to disseminate positive information about menstrual hygiene, breaking down the barriers that I was facing at the beginning.”
Fwilane’s work around gender equality and gender based violence in the community has also seen positive changes:
“I’m an advocate for change, and I believe that gender equality is not about making females to be equal to males, or making males to be equal to females. Gender equality is about development. This is why I have taken up the responsibility to do work for both girls and boys, and manage these safe spaces. Despite the push back, by the third year of my advocacy work on this topic, I saw different members of the community walking into Project Luangwa’s office to ask for more information, guidance, and counseling on how to overcome gender based violence. This is a huge shift and positive change.
Recently I was in a community, holding a meeting where a male raised a concern regarding gender based violence that men have been experiencing because when they report cases to the law enforcers, it’s not deemed to be a serious thing. They become a laughing stock. This was an eye opener for me. It has prompted me to think more deeply about Human Rights Day and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence and that this year’s focus should be different and not just be biased to females only, but the involvement of men as well.”
Transformative Moments
These combined efforts are giving youth confidence to speak out and lead.
“These efforts produced real breakthroughs among our youth:
A moment that recently reminded me why I do the work I do came when I watched how much the boys have evolved in terms of behavior change about menstruation. They have braved it all and stood in the community, desensitizing them on the importance of Menstrual Hygiene management.
Another example is Angela, joined us at age 11, and who was too shy to say a word in front of her peers. Today, as a Grade 12 student, she is one of the best speakers I’ve ever encountered in all the years I have been working here. Also Gift, who lives with a disability, found comfort within the safe space and was given a leadership position. He has advocated for positive change for the last five years he has been a member of his Boys Club, very dedicated, instrumental and forward thinking. It is these moments that I realize that change really is possible.”
Looking Ahead
Fwilane looks forward to a future where there are more mentors to support this work and have a bigger reach followed by her core belief.
“Now, as I mentor Dorica our Office Assistant, to help me, she will be instrumental in the future of the programme,” I’m reminded why I do this work. The work we are doing as mentors is not just for the benefit of the beneficiaries…but it’s a benefit of one member to a family, to a community, to a country, to a continent and to the rest of the world. If we put our heads together on one table and bring the same opportunity to both genders, it will yield positivity in the community.
From confronting taboo to cultivating leaders, my journey with Project Luangwa shows how locally led, culturally sensitive initiatives can spark ripples of change that extend far beyond the South Luangwa Valley.”
