Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) joins the world in commemorating International Day of Rural Women, which is running under the theme “Empowering Women Living in Rural Areas Through Education and Access to Technology: Bridging The Gap for Inclusive and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in Africa”
The day seeks to celebrate the role rural women play in food security and nutrition, sustainable development, climate change mitigation, and community building. In Zimbabwe, and particularly this year, rural women have been the face of resilience against the El-Nino induced drought, which has seen them endure long distances to fetch water and seeking innovative ways such as taking on food for work schemes in order to put food on the table.
Rural women face immense challenges in their pursuit of their daily existence that includes social and cultural barriers, migration and displacement, limited access to resources and services, and climate change impacts. Skewed power relations in rural households, means women are excluded from ownership of land and assets, a factor which inhibits their ability to attain economic independence.
As VISET, through the Informal Economy Women’s Hub (INEWOH), we would like to acknowledge the support of our development partners that has seen us undertake programs for the advancement of rural women through the Feminist Leadership Trainings, that seeks to challenge and dismantle the social, cultural, religious, and economic barriers that restrict their ability to attain women empowerment!
The Women’s Hub continue to advocate for policies and initiatives that address the specific challenges faced by women in the informal economy, recognizing diversity and inclusion as fundamental principles that should guide gender equality. It is important to ensure that the voices of the marginalized groups within the informal economy, including women with disabilities and youth are represented in decision-making processes.
#EmpowerRuralWomen
#GenderEquality
