Tai created Harakati za Lucy Initiative which uses animation to tell real life stories that include problems school girls face concerning Sexual Reproductive health: Animation aims to raise awareness in communities about the role of men in supporting girls in the issues of sexual reproductive health.
August last year our initiative among four others won Seed Fund from AMUA Accelerator which was funded by UNFPA. Among the four winning Start-ups UNFPA chose two representatives, among them was Gwamaka Mwakabuka, the producer of Harakati za Lucy and Dorah Peter founder of eShangazi Chat Boat to represent the winners of innovation startups of the continent to the WomanUP 8th African Conference of Sexual and Reproductive Health in South Africa.
Gwamaka Mwabuka and Dorah Peter at Youth Conference in CedarWood Sandton Johannesburg, South Africa.
Under the theme Advancing the sexual Health and Reproductive Rights of Girls and Women in Africa , the 8TH African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights was opportunity for academics, activists and development workers to REVIEW and RENEW their commitment to SHR and RECONNECT with partners for change.
The conference had two parts that include youth conference and the main conference. In the youth part, different youth from around the word met and discuss challenges that different countries face in term of SRH and how young people can contribute to solve issues affecting adolescent girls in SRH. Then, during the main conference stakeholders, police makers and different NGOS came together to talk about SRH.
Gwamaka was honored to be a mentor in a space where youth met and discuss how to come up with ideas that help solving social problems affecting adolescent girls by using technology and turning them into business. He was working with the team that deals with solving the problem of access to information for the people who are in remote areas in order to break the digital gap between people who have access to smart phones and those one who don’t have.
With the animation of Harakati za Lucy, the discussion concerning involvement of men in SRH can now take place within communities, as it is displayed in open meetings where student, teachers, parents and other stakeholders are involved and spark conversation. Including the society in this manner allows to find the best solutions for the faced problem.
Without a doubt in the minds of many it had been almost inconceivable that you can use technology to solve social problems, but Harakati za Lucy animation sets an important example for the rest of the continent. “Our goal is it to assure the world, yes, this is possible, we have done it, and we will continue to dedicate time to invest heavily in solving problems concerning Sexual Reproductive Health among girls in schools in order to reduce number of school dropout”, said Gwamaka.