A young gender rights champion

Machum, 12, lives with his parents and two younger sisters in Bangladesh. He was born with a physical disability and is unable to stand, walk, or eat without help. At school, Machum often feels sad when he cannot join the other students to run and play during break times.

Machum’s father is a rickshaw driver. The family struggles with poverty. In many communities where World Renew works, it is not uncommon for families like Machum’s who face challenges meeting their basic needs to marry off their young daughters to help ease their financial burdens.

The Very Young Adolescent project is a Save the Children program designed to help adolescents aged 10 to 14 and their families recognize unhealthy and unjust gender norms – including child marriage. World Renew received a grant to learn and use the VYA approach through USAID-funded MOMENTUM County and Global Leadership. Choices, Voices, Promises (CVP) is a new approach for World Renew Bangladesh which gives a new dimension to its Very Young Adolescents (VYAs) programming.

Machum is delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in the CVP program. He is always the first to respond to questions and participate in the discussions. And, despite his physical challenges, he has not missed any sessions. His mother is also happy that her son has this opportunity and says, “I take him to the ‘Choices’ sessions leaving my household work behind because he is happy when he is there; otherwise, he looks sad as he stays home most of the time.”

Machum shares, “I liked it when in the first session I was asked to draw my hopes and dreams as well as my sisters’ hopes and dreams. I like to create things; so, I want to be a scientist. I also hope that my sisters’ dreams will be fulfilled.”

The CVP lessons helped Machum to understand that boys and girls should be treated equally. “I told my father not to get my sisters married at an early age. My sisters have the right to have their dreams fulfilled. I will stand up for their rights if my father wants to marry them off too young,” he says.

June 25th is Justice for All Sunday; join World Renew to learn more about the ways your gifts can help communities around the world to learn and appreciate that we are all image bearers of God and so all deserving of love and respect. Your gifts can help support gender justice programs like Choices, Voices, Promises that work to end gender-based violence, early child marriages, and more. To give to support justice work like this, visit: worldrenew.ca/justiceforall