STAFF WRITER
ENTERPRISING and tenacious Lupane rural women have overcome challenges brought about by the Corona pandemic through self help projects, it has been revealed.
Women in Lupanda area managed to come up with various projects through the assistance of Ntengwe, a non governmenal organisation based in Lupane.
The women produced face masks, hand sanitizers and disseminated information on hygiene and sanitation in homes and public places, among other activities to curb the spread of the Corona virus pandemic.
The women baked bread and buns, that went a long way in assuaging bread shortages.
Also, the women provided a consortium of cheaper goods, that had skyrocketed during the Covid-19 induced national lockdown.
Ntengwe managed to provide the expertise and resource support to ensure the success of various projects that were undertaken by dozens of women in the marginalised Lupanda area in the past two years.
This was revealed during a belated International Day of Rural Women held in the area on Tuesday and organised by Ntengwe.
The women’s day is observed on every 15th day of October each year to celebrate and honour the importance of rural women in enhancing agriculture and rural development, which has been traditionally overlooked and undervalued.
Commemorations for this year were running under the theme, “Building rural women’s resilience in the wake of Covid- 19”.
This theme seeks to strengthen rural women’s sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing.
Speaking during the commemorative event, guest of honor Dr Karen Dube, who is a development studies lecturer at Lupane State University said the projects were a huge step in empowering the usually down trodden rural women.
“It is indeed befitting that we take time to reflect and recognise rural women’s immense contributions, their achievements, aspirations and to also understand the challenges confronting them as they gallantly contribute to the development of our communities and the nation at large even in the wake of Covid-19,” Dube told the gathering.
She added: “Women are bouncing back better despite the mobility restrictions which curtailed the viability of their micro and small enterprises through support from both the government and our development partners.
“Today avails an opportunity for the district to acknowledge and thank rural women who make more than 60 per cent of those employed in the agricultural sector, making them important contributors to food production and preservation. We commit ourselves to supporting rural women’s endeavors and urge them to remain steadfast as torch bearers of the district’s aspirations.”
Dube further noted that rural women play a pivotal role in animal husbandry, provision of value added food, safe water, fuel and also engage in off-farm activities for livelihoods diversification for their families and communities.
” Their reproductive/ community roles should also not be overlooked as they care for children, older persons, the sick (as well as the unemployed/ retrenched husbands) which increased during Covid- 19 induced lockdowns,” she said.
Dube said it was her intention that issues that matter most in the lives of rural women should be brought to the fore and secure honest commitments to address them.
“Women remain major survivors of gender based violence, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Large numbers of women and girls have fallen prey to the hands of abusive male folks in their communities and families through physical, emotional, economic and sexual violence. It is therefore everyone’s mandate to fight this vice if we are to achieve sustainable Vision 2030 despite the ravaging impact of the Covid-19 disease on most economies.”
