WOMEN in Bulilima and Mangwe districts, Matabeleland North and South provinces have joined hands to form an organisation to tackle poverty, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and alcohol abuse.
In an interview with Southern Eye, Milikani Federation president Samaria Nkomo said the organisation advocates for the improvement of the lives of both women and children in Plumtree.
“Women and children are being abused and the list (of abuses) is endless,” said Nkomo, whose organisation has three structures consisting the Self Help Group (SHG) with 10 to 20 women which is at the base, the Clusters Group and the Milikani Federation on top.
“We formed this organisation to assist ourselves as women because we have nothing. We asked each woman to contribute R2 for our piggy bank,” she said.
Nkomo said the money is contributed each week with the aim of making sure women do not rely on their husbands.
“This money helps women assist themselves with smaller things at home like buying groceries, paying tuitions in schools and buying school books,” Nkomo said.
Each SHG selects two members from their groups to form cluster groups.
“The cluster groups discuss with all members from the first structure issues of concern, which they record. These are then discussed at cluster to resolve issues at hand,” she said.
“In this federation we also ask government officials and local authorities, among others to assist us (fight) drug abuse and teenage pregnancies (because) as mothers it’s painful to watch lose our future generation.”
SHG national coordinator, Mthokozisi Ndebele said they had implemented similar projects in other districts across Zimbabwe.
The SHG programme is spearheaded by Bantwana Zimbabwe through the SHG national coordination’s office and is supported by Kindernothife.
The programme is implemented by seven organisations in 13 districts across the country.
