…Public administration and civic society women honoured

Ngoni Dapira

Women have been urged to unite and desist from the ‘pull you down’ mentality to ensure the 50/50 gender equality policy in the country is operational in all spheres.

This was said by National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) Eastern region chairperson Dr Joachem Hatizivi Nyamande who was the guest of honour for the Mutare chapter HIVOS Women Empowered for Leadership Awards held online last week Thursday.

Women Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) in partnership with the development aid organization HIVOS Southern Africa implemented the Strengthening Women’s Effective Participation in Leadership Positions (SWEPP) intervention programme that began in 2016, running through its existing provincial structures countrywide. The intervention seeks to increase women’s representation and effective participation of women leaders in public administration and civil society organizations (CSOs). From the women who participated in Manicaland the awards recognized the top three participants.

Rumbidzai Nzarayebani who won the top excellence in civic society award

Running under the theme, “Recognising excellence in women leadership,” Dr Nyamande urged women to shun unnecessary bickering, turf wars and any other vices that only serve to draw them back from achieving gender equality. He said ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, but crucial for a sustainable future as it has been proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development.

“I want to urge all of us to adopt the right mental fortitude to support each other and mentor the upcoming younger women for a stronger women’s movement…. I therefore, urge you all to guard your space jealously by being the protector of ‘Each Other Sister’s Keeper’ (EOSK). This should be done without discrimination of age, religious and political affiliations, economic status, rural, farming or urban locations. All women are one and at the same matters,” he said.

Dr Nyamande added that it is important to embrace, domesticate and functionalise the 2030 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls and continue to seek the social, structural and institutional reforms that actively hinder the realisation of 50/50 gender parity in Zimbabwe. This is in sync with one of the key targets in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development which speaks of 50 percent women’s representation in all areas of decision-making by 2030 as well as Section 17 of gender balance and Section 56 of equality in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

A banner from the 50/50 gender campaign in 2018 by the Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU).

WCoZ Mutare chapter chairperson Selina Marewangapo said the awards acknowledged local women leaders in various spheres for their outstanding performance under the women empowered for leadership initiative which identifies and aims to make the women who take part in the programme role models and mentors in their respective communities.

“The objective is to identify outstanding impact by women leaders who have resoundingly demonstrated the utilization of knowledge and skills gained through the Women Empowered for Leadership initiatives since 2016. To award and show recognition to women leaders who have impacted communities outstandingly and to identify role models and mentors for the Women Empowered for Leadership programme,” said Marewangepo in her remarks.

Sandra Marufu who won the runner up excellence in public administration award.

The winners were Charity Ndadzungira who walked away with the top excellence in public administration award, Rumbidzai Nzarayebani won the top excellence in civic society award and Sandra Marufu also received an excellence in public administration award, respectively.

The top winner Ndadzunira is the Manicaland Provincial Social Welfare Officer and is currently seconded to the United Nations World Food Programme as deputy Head of Mutare Field Office for Manicaland. She has been coordinating humanitarian and social protection programmes to vulnerable communities for 26 years now at different levels of operation in development work in community centred social protection and child protection environments.

Nzarayebani is the founding director of the non governmental organisation, Women Centred Development Trust. She has been doing women’s rights awareness and gender equality programmes through various media initiatives as well as feminist building programmes in rural areas in a bid to dismantle patriarchy. Marufu on the other hand is with the Ministry of Women Affairs Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development based in Mutasa district. She has been doing a lot of empowerment trainings for women in leadership positions, including programmes for vulnerable women who are safe shelter gender based violence survivors whom she gives psycho-social support to pick up the brocken pieces and move on with their lives as self-empowered women.