Rural Women Geared for Development and Governance Program.
Pauline Chateuka
Community Radio Harare has embarked on an educational empowerment program meant to promote women’s participation in development and local governance issues. This project has drawn some women participants from the following target areas, Seke, Chihota, Wedza and Macheke.
A research done by WIPSU in 2017 shows that there is low women participation in community information gathering and dissemination that is resulting in fewer women participation in development and local governance issues. In a bid to work on improving the situation, on 10 June 2021 nineteen women attended the inception meeting of the project at Dema Seke that was meant to teach them the importance in participating in development and local governance issues in their communities. Women who attended the meeting applauded the project and said they are geared to start.
Patriarchal societies are one of the major reasons why women do not participate in local governance and development issues or even take up leadership roles in their communities. An example is of a female village head (Sabhuku) in Hwedza who is being harassed by his brother and Mambo Svove calling for her to step down purporting that a woman can never be capable of leading the whole village.
Fear and lack of confidence are also contributors in women shying away from important development and local governance debates or discussions.
“There is need to start confidence building programs so that women can be confident to participate in development and local governance issues.” said Claris Mahachi from Seke who was one of the 19 people who attended the CORAH inception meeting.
Women who attended the meeting welcomed the program and are looking forward to working with Community Radio Harare to empower more women in their areas to be able to make informed decisions and contribute to the development of their communities.
