The Brave Girl Camp will take place on 3-10 August, 2024 on the Waterford Kamhlaba Campus. This year, 55 girls will be admitted into the week-long programme.

Brave Girl is a week-long empowerment camp for 50 female high school students in Eswatini every August. During BraveGirl, campers engage in discussions surrounding girl empowerment, with a focus on education, career planning, financial literacy, as well sexual reproductive health (SRH), mental health and wellness, sports and the arts, developing sisterhood relationships, self defence and many others. The camp’s residency is the Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA campus. In their application, the girls express interest in pursuing careers in the following industries: arts and fashion, health care, hospitality, the natural sciences, engineering, business and finance, law and entrepreneurship. The purpose of this day is to provide them with real-life experiences of the working environments of their chosen careers.

The camp, designed specifically for girls in Form 4 and 5 (ages 16 - 18), will offer a diverse range of activities and workshops. These include:

• Leadership Development: Learn essential tools and skills for leading effectively in different contexts
• Critical Thinking and Problem-solving: Develop analytical skills and tackle challenging scenarios.
• Confidence Building: Build self-esteem and discover your unique strengths
• Personal growth: Explore your interests and navigate personal development through interactive sessions
• Career Guidance: explore various post-secondary pathways and study opportunities, visit local tertiary institutions to learn about the application processes and attend a special lecture
• Law and Entrepreneurship: The purpose of this day is to provide them with real-life experiences of the working environments of their chosen careers.

BACKGROUND STORY

BraveGirl Camp is a student-led gender equality initiative kickstarted in 2017 by then students Ellie (Chinese-American), Ike (Kenyan), Anna (Italian) and Shannon (Swazi). Thanks to the Young Aurora platform, the team successfully implemented the first BraveGirl camp in August 2017. 

The project consists of a girls’ residency camp for 16-18 year old eSwatini girls from urban areas with the goal of providing opportunities to future female leaders in the country. BraveGirl takes a holistic approach to women’s empowerment, moving from a focus on personal goals and health towards the wider context of empowerment in eSwatini. 

Since the project was launched with the help of Young Aurora, 150 girls from 10 local schools have taken part in the BraveGirl camp. They spend a week away from home, free to speak their thoughts, discuss ideas that may be shunned in their communities and learn that, as women, they can and will overcome the prejudices they might face and create a better future for Swazi society. 

RECRUITMENT & OUTREACH

The Brave Girl team has held presentations and distributed application forms to the following schools and students as part of the recruitment process:

• Elangeni High School, 700 students
• St Mary's High School, 350 students
• Ezulwini Community School, 400 students
• Sigangeni High School, 300 students

DETAILS

All participants in the camp are provided with accommodation, meals, and materials for programming. In addition, transportation to and from the camp will be provided.

In addition, all girls will have a 2024 Brave Girl Career Guidance Handbook.

For more information, visit their website, contact the organisers via email or follow them on social media on Facebook and Instagram. You can also read past success stories on their blog.