First Lady’s Widows Association transforms lives in Masvingo

Tendai Rupapa in MASVINGO

A lively atmosphere engulfed the Rupike community in Masvingo recently where hundreds of widows basked in a new lease of life they are enjoying through life-transforming income-generating projects initiated for them by empowerment proponent First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa under the auspices of her Widows Association.

All the seven districts of Masvingo Province benefited and Amai Mnangagwa yesterday visited Rupike in Masvingo district as she assessed the success of her interventions.

Other districts, however, came along to share their success stories.

Last year, as patron of the First Lady’s Widows Association, Dr Mnangagwa, through her Angel of Hope Foundation and its partners, availed an assortment of goods to widows in all provinces to kick-start small-scale retailing businesses in their districts aimed at economically empowering the vulnerable group.

The women are now enjoying the fruits of their hard work.

Masvingo becomes the second province to be visited by the mother of the nation for a follow-up of the projects.

The highly subscribed progress visit came along with a legal clinic that comprised of tents manned by officers from the First Lady’s National Gender-Based Violence Call Centre 575 and the Police Victim Friendly Unit who were assisting people.

There were also experts from the Master of the High Court who shared critical information to curb abuse and worrying cases where widows and orphans were disinherited of their wealth by greedy relatives.

Unlike in the past when widows were branded husband snatchers and left to wallow in poverty, yesterday they were exuding confidence and seeking to share information on how the First Lady had restored their dignity and allowed them to set foot on the train of development.

In Rupike, beneficiaries are rearing 600 broilers, 500 road runners and over 200 goats.

They used funds they realized from the sale of groceries they were given by the First Lady to start the projects. As the shops continue to thrive, the women have been banking the profits and currently have a bank balance of US$20 000.

In her remarks, Dr Mnangagwa said she was gratified with the hunger for success shown by the beneficiaries of her programmes in Masvingo and encouraged them to keep working hard to realise more success.

“I brought about the First Lady’s Widows Associations in all provinces seeking to see whether since your husbands have died, the homes still dignified. As a mother are you still walking the correct dignified path? When left alone following the death of your spouse, you will shoulder all the responsibilities for the family. However, God will never give you a burden that you cannot carry. I then said let me go out there and tell these women that you are important. Amai makakosha munodzora, muri muchengeti uye munochengeta nekubatsira even vasiri vekwenyu. You help even in instances that do not benefit you. I then ask again as to whether you are the woman who is being spoken about, or you are the one who is living recklessly after the death of your husband snatching other people’s husbands. This is where the test is, as people want to know how you are faring. Vanhu vakatotarisa kuda kuona magariro amurikuita as a widow. A mother is not selective, she is a defender and builder even to neighbours. It is not a crime to be widowed. Accept the situation. To men, if you have a family, fix all the challenges while you are still alive seeing to it that children are brought up well. Prepare for your children because some of your wealth will be taken away by greedy relatives, making it difficult for your children to live like others out there,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa implored women to use their hands to earn good names in their communities.

“Participate in projects that give you income and good names in the communities. On my 575 Gender-based Violence toll-free line I am receiving calls to the effect that some widows are being promiscuous and bringing all types of men home. They are the same men who are raping their children and some of them start dating your daughters. Does it augur well for a mother and her daughter to share a man? These boyfriends destroy and waste away the inheritance that was left behind by your husbands. Women, let us stay away from embarrassing things which earn us bad names,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa did not hide her appreciation of the women’s hard work.

“I am gratified with the work that you are doing. When I brought up these projects, I told you that I would come back for a follow-up. Masvingo you have made me proud and even those who helped me with the resources I gave you will be happy seeing your zeal to prosper. You did not embarrass me. Continue working in groups and in harmony,” she said.

Bikita district also came and shared what it accomplished.

Their representative Mrs Matimba said they now boast 2 400 chickens which they are selling in boarding schools and restaurants around the district.

They also have close to US$ 10 000 cash and intend to start fish farming and a goat project soon.

Mrs Chengeto Shindi representing Chiredzi said;

“Amai we took the groceries and road runners you gave us to the district. We sold the groceries and reared chickens before starting a pass-on scheme where we gave one another the chickens in our wards. The profits we got from selling groceries we started a fushai scheme and a started goat-rearing project,” she said.

Said a representative of Chivi District: “After selling the groceries you gave us Amai; we realised a substantial amount of money which we distributed to all the constituencies in our district. In the constituencies, they used the money to start other projects which are flourishing.”

Mwenezi District was over the moon.

Its representative described Amai as a worker, organiser, manager, adviser and nation builder (WOMAN).

“Amai our members are 650 and we are all benefiting from your generosity. We are rearing chickens and keeping money. We will not let you down. Amai we are awestruck by your hard work and love.”

A representative of Gutu District, Mrs Makuwaza gave a brief on what they did with the groceries received from the First Lady.

She said after selling groceries, they realized over US$3 000 which they now want to use to start other projects while continuing with their retail business.

Zaka district was also thankful to the mother of the nation.

“Truly as widows, we had bad names but you came and erased them and made us walk on the correct path. We are now dignified people through working hard for ourselves. Amai from selling our products we generated money which we want to use for piggery and poultry projects,” she said.

Mrs Tambudzai Mutume (57) was among the widows who expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her life-transforming initiatives.

“My husband died in 2010 and I was left with five children. The First Lady gave us groceries and chickens which we sold and realized money which we kept and we are rearing more chickens and used part of the money to start goat rearing project,” she said.

Mrs Elizabeth Marimira the chairperson of the project in Ward 23 was equally ecstatic.

“I lost my husband in 2017 and was left with seven children. Out of my children, only three were grown up. We were given groceries which we sold and started chicken projects and goat rearing. Before this, most widows would take other people’s husbands and frequent bars but since we started these projects no one ever did this as we were married to our projects. We are benefitting from the projects and we are now able to send our children to school. No widow will ever frequent bars and we thank the First Lady for her benevolence,” she said.

The First Lady donated packs of vegetable combo seeds to the women for horticulture farming.

She further donated tonnes of wheat to communities.

Mrs Senzeni Kapanga from the 575 GBV call centre, which is stationed in the office of the First Lady underscored the need for families to live in peace at all times.

“Amai through the call centre is assisting people in a lot of ways but the biggest thing she is focusing on is staying well in the homes, in marriages, in families and communities. Amai varikukurudzira runyararo vachiti no to gender based violence. If we are not living well in our homes, it also means even the children are not happy. It also means even the community is not safe. If all these spaces are not safe, it therefore means no one will get the time to work. You can call on 575 and get help. In the call centre, some agents are multi-lingual. We are happy to have come here today where there are widows because we receive a lot of reports against them.

“Most of the reports we are getting is that we as mothers are not controlling ourselves and we are doing things that are not expected of us. We are engaging in harlotry and this is affecting our families, children and communities.

“Most people who phone are children who would have been bashed. When going further to assist the child, it will come out that the mother was being promiscuous openly and the child was following suit thinking that it was how it was done. We are also encountering mothers who are not taking care of their children. A child complains of being raped and the mother sends the child to that person. Some mothers are protecting their relations with lovers even after they would have raped their child. We have a case where someone concealed a rape case to protect a boyfriend only for the protected man to continue doing so until the child contracted a sexually transmitted infection,” she said.

A Masvingo police Victim Friendly Unit representative said cases of rape, domestic violence and statutory rape were on the rise. She urged women to report such crimes timeously without fear.

“Please know that every man is a potential abuser, therefore do not leave children with any men, including relatives. Look after our children,” she said.

Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira paid tribute to the First Lady for her empowerment initiatives.

“We are grateful for your income-generating projects Amai. You have embarked on a lot of projects, which are meant to ensure that the country becomes an upper-middle-income economy by 2030. You are complementing the work being done by the President. We are very grateful because you are leaving no one and no place behind. You have impacted the lives of women, the elderly, children, widows, and everyone. You have transformed the lives of people from marginalised communities. You started Agric4She which has given birth to a lot of success stories countrywide. You empowered seven districts in our province with the Widows Association Project, and today we are witnessing success stories from one of the districts. You have chosen to come to the periphery of Masvingo. To you, distance is not a barrier. You are always travelling across the country even in hard-to-reach areas to make sure that everyone lives a decent life,” he said.

Minister Chadzamira praised the First Lady for playing a role in the preservation of the country’s traditional values.

“You are also playing a pivotal role in the preservation of our traditional cultural values. You are teaching women, men and children to dress decently, and we are seeing the results of your teachings. We would also like to thank you for bringing us food. You always teach us to earn a living through using our hands,” he said.

Bulawayo-based arts group IYASA provided edutainment. – Herald