As the National Youth Program Officer for the YWCA Council of Zimbabwe, Rejoice Matanga helps to administer community development programs to increase women’s participation in politics and community life.
During her CSP fellowship at the YWCA of Niagara [8], New York, Rejoice worked on advocating for women who were victims of domestic violence at the local level through various legal, political, and civil society channels.
After returning to Zimbabwe, Rejoice's follow-on project aimed to increase community involvement and participation in responding and preventing gender-based violence. Media personnel from major media houses participated in a one-day meeting to discuss how reporting on women survivors of domestic violence could be reported on in a more positive way. In addition, trainings were conducted in three communities for 500 women, men and youth on the implications of gender-based violence and how communities can respond to help the survivors. Some of the training participants have since established victims’ support groups in their communities.