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Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Senior Reporter
Grass roots community action in Umzingwane District, Matabeleland South province facilitated by the Apostolic Women’s Empowerment Trust (AWET) in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care has been tackling Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Covid-19 through community engagement activities.

AWET together with behaviour change facilitators discuss Sexual Gender Based Violence, child marriages, poverty, gender relations and Covid-19 preventative measures among other critical issues.

The Trust has been advancing dialogue and understanding of gender issues as apostolic sects have various beliefs, norms, values and perceptions on key social issues such as child marriages, education, HIV/Aids and maternal health.

Using direct community engagement activities, AWET communicate SGBV at the household level as well as offer reporting mechanisms such as toll-free numbers and referral pathways.

Behaviour change facilitator Samantha Ncube (22) of Nhleyiyana Village said early child marriages were a challenge she was determined to end.

“Some girls want to be married to older men to escape poverty. These men already have wives. There’s also peer pressure among young people who just love fancy things. Some families also pledge their children to older men. My role is to educate and also refer the abused to the police, social workers and other partners,” she said.

AWET Head of Programmes Ms Hope Dunhira said the Spotlight Initiative is focusing on GBV against women and girls particularly focusing on wife beating and child marriages.

“The response has been really great and we’re now being invited to schools where our behavioural change facilitators who are residents in the communities, have been going to primary and secondary schools to raise awareness on how best we can protect ourselves from Covid-19 and ensuring that everyone is adhering to the guidelines. We’re working very closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care,” said Ms Dunhira.

She said the meetings are held on Tuesdays after every two weeks.

“We’ve been part of the regional platform where we’ve been sharing what we’ve been doing in Zimbabwe because AWET is working in 52 districts across the country. We have over 3 500 behaviour change facilitators who are in the communities in the 52 districts,” said Ms Dunhira.

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. It is funded by the European Union and is being implemented by UNDP, Unicef, UN Women, UNFPA, Unesco and the ILO in Zimbabwe.

Co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator’s office and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, the Spotlight Initiative also has a national civil society reference group to promote stakeholder accountability and civil society engagements. – @Yolisswa