RGC’s targeted beneficiaries are disadvantaged girls and young mothers mainly from the high-density suburbs of Harare and Chitungwiza. Many girls who come from rural areas to Harare to live with relatives who work in Harare have also enrolled for the program and find it very useful and relevant to their lives. These communities have been identified as low income and high HIV prevalence areas. These girls are a vulnerable group and predisposed to HIV and AIDS due to the socio-economic conditions in Zimbabwe. Girls who are eligible are those who have completed primary education but have not had a chance to complete their O ’Levels, girls who have completed but not gained a recognized or full O’ Level pass, orphans who have lost the breadwinner of the family and internally displaced girls for economic, political or personal reasons. Rafiki training recognizes that, failure due to these circumstances is not an end but an opportunity to encourage, motivate and inspire young girls and women to reach their full potential in spite of temporary set- backs which are beyond their control.

RGC believes that these girls have the potential of not becoming hopeless and helpless wives but economically powerful women who contribute meaningfully to the everyday political and social life of Zimbabweans. These young women are trained in various practical life skills which are Hotel and Catering, Cutting and Designing, Interior Design, Preschool teacher training, Cosmetology and Nurse Aid. They are trained in the hope that they will be able to use the skills acquired to start income generating projects or be employed.

Some of our students are also victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.

• Rafiki equips 120 girls each year. These are the direct beneficiaries
• The girls are aged between 17 and 25 years old.
• We also have indirect beneficiaries who are the family members and the communities whose lives change for the better as a result of girls sharing their income, their skills and providing services to the communities.