wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Just an hour’s drive from the tourist destination Victoria Falls, young girls in Zimbabwe are surrounded by poverty, political instability, and physical and sexual violence. The widespread belief that sleeping with a virgin will cure a man of HIV/AIDS has made sexual violence an everyday part of life. Betty Makoni, founder and director of the Girl Child Network, talks about the challenges facing Zimbabwe's young girls, and tells us what her organization is doing to help. Ms. Makoni is in New York to participate in the UN's 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women.