"Knowledge is power"

(image) - For me, "education of liberation" means women's emancipation. A lot of women are failing to succeed because they don’t have the sufficient level of education. It’s not just about academic education, but also social levels of awareness. Knowledge is power. You need to know your rights in order to claim them, says Rudo Chugudu from Katswe Sistahood in Zimbabwe.

Rudo is sexual health and rights coordinator in Katswe Sistahood, one of SAIH's partners in Zimbabwe. Katswe Sistahood aims to improve women's knowledge of their own judicial, social and economic rights. The fight for access to education naturally becomes part of their work.

- How can the situation for education in Zimbabwe today become better?

- In Zimbabwe, we need a basic right to education. First of all, we need primary education, but we also have too many people coming out of school and not being able to enter higher education. Education needs to be accessible and affordable to all, says Rudo.

For Katswe Sistahood, one key goal is to make women become agents of change in their own society, and to improve women's possibilities to make their own choices in life. Collective initiatives are important to achieve this goal:

- And how can you personally contribute to "education for liberation"?- "Education for liberation" is founded on social responsibility. Everyone possesses some knowledge that they can teach to others. We as a nation need to take more social responsibility, be proud of who we are and be willing to put in to the education of younger people, says Rudo.

More from Zimabwe: Faith Chamba from the student organization ZINASU (in Norwegian only).