Women Space Continues Fight Against GBV and Child Marriages

WomenSpace joins the rest of the world in commemorating 16 days of activism against Gender Based Violence, a campaign aimed at mitigating this scourge which dehumanises women mostly.

As part of the organisation’s efforts in this fight Women Space has done several activities to ensure the reduction of early child marriages and forced marriages.

The organisation has not left out males as they are critical in this fight. Women Space has involved young boys as well to capture the adage which goes, “Catch them young.”

In involving the young boys, Women Space ensures both the males and females they have access to education, life skills training with focus on leadership, children’s rights alongside sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR). They are also taught about gender equality and equity as a strategy to mitigate child marriages.

One of the districts where Women Space is Goromonzi District.

Goromonzi, a district well known for child marriages in the country.WomenSpace has been capacitating young girls with life skills and training them in income generating projects.

Disabled community’s maternal health at risk

INASMUCH as Zimbabwe showed improvement in affording women antenatal coverage and giving birth in proper clinical settings, one Shantel Chekerekedzai feels sidelined.

According to the 2019 Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) skilled attendant deliveries improved up from 78, 1 percent in 2015 to 86 percent in 2019. Further Institutional deliveries were at 85, 5 percent from 77percent, during the same comparable periods.

We all have dreams for brighter days and ever hopeful to see that silver lining. But for one Shantel it never rains but pours. Born with a disability for she limps, at one point in her life she had to deliver en route to the clinic, on foot.

Her father disappeared on her mother when Shantel was a baby after learning of her disability. Sadly when Shantel was nine, her mother died leaving her in the care of her grandmother.

“Life was difficult since I was raised by my grandmother who is unemployed. As a disabled child I was neglected by the society,” she says. Given her grandmother’s financial status as they survive on handouts, her ambition to enrol with Danhiko School for the disabled has been shattered.

“My dream was to enrol with Danhiko but failed to raise school fees and I was forced to drop out of skool,” says Shantel. “I did difficult household chores like going to the dam to fetch water and wash clothes with my crutches.” As with most young girls in impoverished scenarios, their way out of a hard life is through marriage. She eloped at the age of 16 and the man fortunately married her.

“Marriage was my only option and hope to a better life. My husband loves me and we have two children,” she says. Due to her disability all her children were not born in a proper clinical setting.

“I gave birth to my first child in the house and the second one on the road on our way to the clinic because I cannot walk properly,” Shantel says.

Because of post natal complications which could have been treated or better yet avoided, Shantel has constant stomach pains. “Still I have not been attended to because I do not have money to go to the clinic,” she said.

Donut making proving a hit among Mt Darwin women

WOMEN Space has begun training Mt Darwin women doughnut and bun making projects which are proving to be the talk of the area. .

The food industry is one that rarely fails as food is ever on demand. Much more sustainable is this business if resources are widely available. .

In an area where electricity is a reserve for a few, women in Mt Darwin make these food items using firewood. With the demand for donuts and buns high, Women Space expect women in Mt Darwin to be financially independent. .

Donuts and buns even in urban areas have sustained many families, sending children to school, building houses and buying clothes. .

As Mt Darwin is a farming community, the women have a target market where they can sell the food items and the farm workers are loving the donuts and buns. .

Aside from the food business, women in the area are also taught liquid soap making. This business is also thriving well among the women folk of Mt Darwin. The project was meant to acquaint the community of standard hygiene practices required as the nation battles with menacing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has killed Zimbabweans in their hundreds, infecting close to 10 000.[need corrections there since I last knew of covid stats in October]. .

“I heartily thank Women Space for this project especially that of donuts and buns which we didn’t know would make us money to send our children to school,” said Mai Simukai from [name of village]. .

Women Space provides these women with the flour and cooking oil for a certain period of time until the business starts generating money for these materials. .

“We are providing these women with the necessary skills for survival. We are fascinated by the fact that the food business is proving to be a hit in this area and people are loving the food,” said Mrs Emily Kamota, WomenSpace project officer.