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Angela Sibanda, [email protected] 

ZANU-PF MP for Matabeleland North in the Women’s Quota, Cde Elizabeth Masuku has said the negative impact of climate change is limiting rural women from fulfilling their roles in the community while Government intends to construct safe markets for women in the province.

Addressing women who had gathered at Makokomba Valley Garden in Umguza District to celebrate the International Day of Rural Women on Tuesday, Cde Masuku said rural women are facing many challenges in playing their role as they spend most of their productive time gathering firewood and fetching water from long-distance sources.

Climate change has seen rural women walking longer journeys in search of firewood, reverting to unsafe water sources which compromises the health of their families. 

“Rural women’s roles have become even more difficult to achieve due to the negative impact of climate change. Globally, the International Day of Rural Women celebrations have become an important platform and a reminder of the epic commitment which was made by various countries and organisations to further the agenda of gender equality and equity,” said Cde Masuku. 

She said 65 percent of women in the country live in rural areas and contribute immensely to agriculture.  “Women in rural areas are also burdened with the role of taking care of their urban-based relatives who resort to coming home when life gets tough in towns,” said Cde Masuku.

She said Government is in the process of availing safe markets for female vendors to enable them to sell their produce without any inconveniences. 

“A safe market has already been established in Epworth and Masvingo and in 2024 we will construct safe markets in Matabeleland North. 

“The ministry will continue to roll out such market facilities in other districts to enable women to sell their wares safely, freely, and conveniently,” said Cde Masuku.

“The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development is working with local authorities to establish these gender-responsive and free spaces.”

Cde Masuku said the concept takes into account the practical gender needs of women entrepreneurs such as the need for proper sanitary facilities, storage room for their products, protection from hard weather conditions, a children’s play centre, a crèche and a one-stop centre for survivors of GBV. 

She said through Valley Garden, a viable vegetable project that supplies most Tsholotsho vendors as well as a few supermarkets in Bulawayo, local women contribute to food security.

“This is with the realisation that rural women have been contributing largely to the feeding of communities through supplying vegetables and farm produce harvested from their community projects,” said Cde Masuku.

The project is being spearheaded by 36 women from local villages who work as a group to grow vegetables such as tomatoes, butternuts, cabbages, carrots, and onions. 

The group also keeps fish which they sell to the local community. 

Ward 15 Councillor Gertrude Gumbo, who is also a gender mentor for Ward 13 and Ntabazinduna said the group, which started off with 46 members, has succeeded in championing development in the community.

 “We have come this far with this project through learning from others. We are also grateful to our sponsors who have helped us turn this idea into a community project,” she said.

“Through the project, we have contributed to building a local clinic and we are also supporting a local school that has been instrumental in giving our kids a second chance in education through school leaver programmes. The school still needs proper infrastructure as the kids have been learning in a farmhouse establishment.”

Cde Masuku presented prizes to women who had prepared the best traditional meals. The winners walked away with kitchenware in the form of dishes, lunch boxes and buckets among others. 

The commemorations were punctuated by song and dance from a local women’s choir and local rhumba music group including drama by local schools.

International Day of Rural Women is commemorated on 15 October in recognition of the significant contributions by women to agricultural production, food security and nutrition, land and natural resource management, and building climate resilience.

It highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world. This year’s commemorations were running under the theme ‘Rural Women Cultivating Good for all’.