Value Addition … Going the Extra Mile on Women Economic Empowerment
Vongai is a young woman who got married at the tender age of 17 years. Her husband is over 30 years older than her, and she has had very little travel nor exposure outside her local community. She dropped out of secondary school due to poverty as her parents could not afford to keep her in school though she was a bright student.
30 August 2017
(ILO NEWS) Murehwa: When the UN Joint Programme for Gender Equality (JPGE) was introduced in the Nyamukowera area in Ward 1 of Murehwa District, Vongai was one of the ladies who eagerly enrolled for the project. The prospect of being part of a woman economic empowerment programme served as a light in an otherwise dark tunnel she had found herself in. Initially, her husband resisted and did not support her when she enrolled into the programme because he felt insecure about her going out to work every day and risking being exposed to younger men in the line of duty. However, following some training on gender transformation under the programme which also targeted spouses and community leaders, in addition to the beneficiaries themselves, Vongai’s husband is now a male champion who supports his wife and is always available to the group whenever they need additional support.
Vongai’s leadership qualities have been evident as the group of 60 beneficiaries have undergone capacity strengthening and skills development for women’s economic and social empowerment covering: gender transformation which included personal mastery and leadership sensitisation; horticulture production; business development; occupational safety and health, and HIV and AIDS, amongst others.
Following the above processes, the JPGE groups in all 5 districts – Murehwa, Nyanga, Chivi, Gutu, and Mutoko - were introduced to the concept of value addition and diversification of production. Basic machinery and equipment for solar drying processing and packaging was procured for the beneficiaries in Murehwa, Gutu, and Nyanga, who opted to take the value addition route. Each cooperative received value addition equipment and related accessories procured by the ILO under the project consisting of: a 10m² solar dryer, a vacuum sealer - the heat sealer model, a cling-wrapping machine, a digital scale weighing up-to 30kg, digital platform scale (100kg) and stainless steel working table of 1.7m in length.
Vongai and her fellow beneficiaries were trained in the use of the equipment, its proper storage and basic maintenance. They were also trained on the importance of hygiene and health issues associated with food processing, at both the personal and production level. The notion of having an opportunity to operate some equipment, albeit its basic nature, brought a lot of excitement and provided Vongai and her colleagues a sense of worthiness and further endorsed that when they leave their homes for the horticulture plot, ‘they are going to work’. Vongai said,
The value addition equipment was commissioned at the sites in Murehwa and Gutu by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Mrs Sibusisiwe Zembe, the Principal Director Air Commodore Ivan Dumba, the respective DAs and Councillors, and other senior government officials from the Ministry in the respective districts, as well as traditional leaders. Also in attendance was Ms Tsitsi Midzi from SIDA, the ILO Country Office Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia, Ms Hopolang Phororo, the ILO JPGE project team and representatives from ILO tripartite partners, namely: Ministry of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, EMCOZ, ZCTU and ZFTU.
Vongai’s leadership qualities have been evident as the group of 60 beneficiaries have undergone capacity strengthening and skills development for women’s economic and social empowerment covering: gender transformation which included personal mastery and leadership sensitisation; horticulture production; business development; occupational safety and health, and HIV and AIDS, amongst others.
Following the above processes, the JPGE groups in all 5 districts – Murehwa, Nyanga, Chivi, Gutu, and Mutoko - were introduced to the concept of value addition and diversification of production. Basic machinery and equipment for solar drying processing and packaging was procured for the beneficiaries in Murehwa, Gutu, and Nyanga, who opted to take the value addition route. Each cooperative received value addition equipment and related accessories procured by the ILO under the project consisting of: a 10m² solar dryer, a vacuum sealer - the heat sealer model, a cling-wrapping machine, a digital scale weighing up-to 30kg, digital platform scale (100kg) and stainless steel working table of 1.7m in length.
Vongai and her fellow beneficiaries were trained in the use of the equipment, its proper storage and basic maintenance. They were also trained on the importance of hygiene and health issues associated with food processing, at both the personal and production level. The notion of having an opportunity to operate some equipment, albeit its basic nature, brought a lot of excitement and provided Vongai and her colleagues a sense of worthiness and further endorsed that when they leave their homes for the horticulture plot, ‘they are going to work’. Vongai said,
‘the few times that I have been to the city supermarkets and seen the vegetable packaged in a neat and fancy way, I never dreamt that one day my own hands would be able to do the same with my own produce. We are now true business women here in Nyamukowera, industry has come to us. ’
The value addition equipment was commissioned at the sites in Murehwa and Gutu by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Mrs Sibusisiwe Zembe, the Principal Director Air Commodore Ivan Dumba, the respective DAs and Councillors, and other senior government officials from the Ministry in the respective districts, as well as traditional leaders. Also in attendance was Ms Tsitsi Midzi from SIDA, the ILO Country Office Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia, Ms Hopolang Phororo, the ILO JPGE project team and representatives from ILO tripartite partners, namely: Ministry of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, EMCOZ, ZCTU and ZFTU.