Call for women to take up leadership positions

Source: Call for women to take up leadership positions | The Herald

Precious Manomano Herald Reporter
Two local non-governmental organisations, Self-Help Development Foundation (SHDF) and Wadzanai Community Development Trust (WCDT), have partnered to initiate income-generating projects for rural women.

Some of the projects to be implemented include poultry, piggery and sewing.

Speaking during a meeting held yesterday, WCDT chairperson Ms Sandra Mutopo said the organisations were committed to changing lives in communities through capacity-building initiatives.

They have so far engaged women and youths in Bindura, Buhera, Goromonzi and Murewa districts.

“These activities involve leadership and budgeting skills training that have helped women and youths from various places to participate more effectively in local governance,” said Ms Mutopo.

“We have also helped to economically empower youth and women to gain the advocacy skills necessary to lobby and educate for community issues of concern such as improved service delivery and accountability in political and economic governance.”

Ms Mutopo said the capacity-building programmes led to increased confidence levels among the female entrepreneurs.

Project manager for WCDT, Mrs Jessie Ngoma, said the programmes created safe spaces of women and youth to discuss issues of concern.
She said patriarchy remained a major setback to the attainment of gender equality in leadership and decision-making processes.

“It is now easy for women to discuss issues of concern, but patriarchal society continues to impede the development processes,” said Mrs Ngoma.

Chief Chinamhora of Domboshava said women were important because they brought development, as such they should not be looked down upon.

“We are doing great in our community, youths and women are engaged in various projects to sustain themselves, men and women are known to complement each other, hence the importance of having women in various structures,” he said.

Murewa legislator Lillian Zemura encouraged women to take the lead and participate in making decisions in their communities.

She said the country is still marginalised in developmental processes because women did not promote each other.

“Let us continue working hard in developmental issues, no hatred,” she said. “Less than 10 percent of women are in leadership roles, it pains me because if we were created equally why are we not occupying more leadership roles.”

Mrs Cynthia Munyavira of Buhera said gender equality was difficult to achieve because women did not support each other.

“Let’s uplift each other, there is no reason to pull down others,” she said. “If we love and support each other there is development.”

Mrs Lizzy Gomwe has been a kraal herd of Gomwe village in ward 4 for over 10 years and also the chief kraal herd leading and controlling other 95 kraal herds in Domboshava.

“Any woman can take a leadership position, be confident of what you say and have faith in,” she said. ”I am leading other kraal herds in Domboshava and l am the only woman doing that.”