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Mkhululi Ncube, Chronicle Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has urged Government to increase funding to women’s rights organisations to enable more women to be economically empowered.

The commission has been conducting provincial gender forums which will culminate in the holding of the National Gender Forum in Masvingo next Wednesday.

After the national gender forum, the Commission will table a report in Parliament on issues affecting the empowerment of women.

This year’s thrust of the gender forums is the economic empowerment of women and deliberations are centred on the challenges and opportunities that women should take advantages of.

The Government established the Women’s Micro-finance Bank, Women’s Development Fund and Community Development Fund to sponsor women projects across the country.

ZGC chief executive officer Mrs Virginia Muwanigwa said funding to women institutions was not enough.

“As of now there is no balance between the amount of money that the institutions have and the demand for funding from women. There is a need to increase  resources to these institutions to enable them to assist as many women that want to start income generating projects,” said Mrs Muwanigwa.

She said there is a need for more financial institutions to come on board and assist women and all banks  should be gender responsive.
“Women also need support to come up with project proposals and as such financial institutions, apart from providing finding, should assist the women in this regard,” she said.

Mrs Muwanigwa said the collateral  demanded by banks remains the biggest obstacle to accessing funding. She said women remain disadvantaged because they have no power and control over resources.

“The other challenge is that the further someone is from where resources are, the less the chances of being able to get them.

We need to recognise the different local communities that we have and as we allocate resources we should balance the distribution so that even women from rural areas benefit. This also requires awareness on the existence of these funds,” said Mrs Muwanigwa.

She said the Commission is pushing for women to be economically empowered so that they are free to speak out on issues affecting them like gender-based violence.

Addressing delegates at the gender forum in Ntabazinduna, ZGC deputy chairperson, Obert Matshalaga said the economic empowerment of women was key to the achievement of gender equality.

Cde Obert Matshalaga

“Economic empowerment is about access to and control of resources. This means women should have access to income, own means of production such as land and other assets and should qualify for loans,” he said. -@themkhust