Hwange celebrates International Rural Women Day in style

Sibongile Dube

Women Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) Hwange Chapter hosted a belated International Rural Women Day at Lukosi in Change ward where hundreds of rural women came to showcase their products and share their success stories.

The event which started off with solidarity messages from stakeholders followed by the touring of stands, attracted a number of rural women.

Cultural food, herbs and medicines found in the Nambya culture formed part of the exhibits.

Addressing the rural women, Lorraine Mubayira, the WCOZ Young Women Forum Chairperson said it is her organisation’s role to empower rural women in marginalised communities of Zimbabwe such as in Hwange rural.

“In Zimbabwe, there are a number of rural and indigenous communities that are incessantly facing the scourge of exclusion, invisibility from the national development discourse and women’s rights interventions. It is therefore critical to develop and implement strategies for reminding the Nation at large of its obligation towards promoting women-centred sustainable food systems and rural development,” said Mubayira.

This year, the theme for International Day of Rural Women is ‘Rural Women Cultivating Good Food For All’, which highlights the essential role that rural women and girls play in the food systems of the world.

Mubayira said rural women and indigenous communities in Zimbabwe and the world over, remain adversely marginalized and are regarded as peripheral to the world that counts, yet they make invaluable contributions towards household and community food systems and rural development.

Lilian Shoko (68) from Change Village said rural women contribute to rural development even though they are not recognized.

“We are the custodians of the rural community but those who are not from the rural communities take us for granted,” she said while emphasising that rural women are custodians of the African culture who have the responsibility of passing African traditions to the next generations.

“We know our values as Africans and therefore are best-placed to pass the knowledge to younger generations,”said Gogo Shoko who was exhibiting Nambya cultural herbs.

“We can teach our children how to work and provide food for the family using the land and our other natural resources” she said.

The International Day of Rural Women was established by the United Nations General Assembly on the 18th of December 2007 and is observed on the 15th day of October every year. This day recognizes the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.