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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter

LOCAL churches have embarked on various empowerment projects targeting men as part of efforts to fight gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

It has been noted that lack of economic opportunities is one of key factors that fuel gender-based violence in homes.
Government and local civil society organisations are largely focusing on women and girl child empowerment as they are the major victims of GBV.

However, little attention has been given to men in terms of empowering them despite being the perpetrators of GBV. Their failure to provide for families is said to be one of the reasons leading to them venting their anger on women.

Following consultations and counselling sessions with men, a group of churches under the banner Council for Churches in Africa decided to start empowerment project for men as a way of countering disharmony in homes due to poverty related issues.

The church observed that most men who are not economically productive tend to be violent and commit GBV cases.
CCA president Dr Rocky Moyo said in their interaction with men, they observed that even their spouses do not respect them as they are sometimes subjected to emotional abuse.

“While as a church we have projects that support widows and orphans we have started a programme to support men whom we believe are not given attention yet they also experience economic challenges. Men are supposed to be providers at home and when they fail to do so they are subjected to humiliation,” he said.

“This then sparks violence in homes as the man would want to use physical strength to show that he is the man of the house.”
Dr Moyo said the church started several mitigation measures including establishing a startup fund to enable them to be economically stable.

“At the beginning of the year, we started a grocery club for some of the men in church so that at the end of the year they can share the groceries. In the coming days we will be sharing the groceries that we bought,” he said.

“We also have a cattle fattening and goat project where we keep beef cattle and with some of the men in the church benefitting from the project.”

Dr Moyo said by empowering men they will be addressing GBV among other related matters.
He said poverty and hunger are some of the reasons why men become violent at home.

“A hungry man is an angry man. There is no love in a home without food. We believe in uplifting each other as men and these projects are bringing the much needed changes in homes,” said Dr Moyo.

Apostle Fabian Phiri, who is also part of the project, said as far as GBV is concerned most men are suffering in silence and their outburst is only seen when they victimise women.

He said to promote and protect the rights of women, the church saw it fit to empower them economically as a way of ending GBV.

“Let me begin where this started. As churches, we counsel a lot of men who have financial challenges and tend to have challenges in their families as they also suffer GBV. During our counselling sessions we observed that without economic stability some of the men become frustrated and end up venting their anger on their spouses,” he said.

Apostle Phiri said they then started grocery clubs for men whose items are distributed at the end of the year just to cushion families.

He said they also started goat and cattle projects for some of the congregants.
“So, we started goat and cattle rearing projects for our members as a way of empowering the men. With these projects we hope to see men being economically stable so that they are able to support their families,” he said.

Padare/Enkundleni coordinator Mr Ziphongezipho Ndebele said there is a symbiotic relationship between poverty and GBV.
He said any project that empowers man economically can help reduce GBV in society.

“Usually, if you look at the society, the poorest are the most vulnerable and where there is poverty there are high chances of GBV. Poverty and GBV go hand in hand and if you look at places like squatter camps, there are high levels of poverty,” said Mr Ndebele.

“There is a co-relation between GBV and economic abuse, and for instance when a man is asked to provide for his family things like payment of fees for schools for children, if they don’t have it they tend to be violent instead of communicating that they don’t have the money. They use violence as a way to defend themselves.” — @nqotshili