Women for Change and Diakonia working to curb gender imbalance in communities

IT is a play depicting Mutinta, a married woman in rural Zambia. She has come back from the market where she had gone to buy vegetables to cook for lunch.

 

She gets home, with her husband sitting in the comfort of a shed from the tree within their compound.

 

Upon realising that the dishes are not cleaned and the mealie meal is finished, she now has to take maize to the nearest hammer mill plant to have it grind for mealie meal.

 

“Hurry up. When you come back from there, I need you to prepare me some food so that I go and see my friends,” he husband shouts as she leaves for the hammer mill.

 

As soon as she comes back, she arrives almost the same with their daughter who has just knocked off from school.

 

She too is demanding for her breakfast. “I am tired, let me get some rest first,” Mutinta responds to her daughter as she washes the last plate.

 

At this point, her daughter then turns to her father, asks him why he is not helping out his wife with some chores.

 

“I am a man, I cannot be washing plates. That is for women and girls. How are people going to look at me,” he responds.

 

These are just some of the things that happen in many homes, especially in rural Zambia. Upon realising the gender gap and in its quest to try and bridge it, Women for Change (WfC) working with support from Swedish faith based organisation Diakonia is implementing the Strengthened Accountability Programme (SAP II) in Zimba and Kalomo.

 

According to WfC programmes, monitoring and evaluation manager Shadrick Chembe, the organisation is working with Chief Chikanta and Chief Siachitema in Kalomo and Chief Simwatachela in Zimba to build, educate and empower their subjects on gender equity and equality.

 

“We are also responsible of building capacity in our partners in terms gender mainstreaming because all the issues that we are handling have a very strong gender component and so if gender mainstreaming is not properly done, you will find a situation where even if service delivery was improved, it will only benefit one sex,” he said.

 

Mr Chembe said his organisations’ role on the project is to ensure that there is accountability in the communities for a strengthened voice, especially among women.

 

“...when you are talking about issues of service delivery, they [women] will be able to cover issues that affect both women and men,” he said.

 

In a recent interview, Media Network on Child Rights and Development (MNCRD) executive director Henry Kabwe had highlighted the need by parents to raise their children equally, irrespective of their gender, in a bid to enhance equality.

 

Mr Kabwe said encouraging boys and girls to play together without stereotyping the toys would enhance gender equality.

 

“That division gives a wrong foundation supported by cultural misconceptions that are misinterpreted in scripture to divide girls and boys. Making girls and boys play together makes them get used to each other and become partners in development. This will increase participation in national issues, including politics,” he said.

 

Speaking in an interview shortly after conducting a project monitoring exercise in Mapatizya in Zimba district recently, Diakonia Zambia programmes officer Maimbo Kalenge said there is need for a mindset change in communities if issues to do with gender equity and equality are to be effectively addressed.

 

Ms Kalenge said she is impressed with the strides that Women for Change (WfC) has made in bridging the gender gap in rural communities.

 

She said much as there has been behaviour and attitude change towards supporting the rights of women, more can still be done in changing the narrative.

 

“I think we have heard a number of success stories. One man is now able to share the responsibilities of house chores which were formerly female dominated. But with the knowledge of gender training, and leadership, we have seen that the women and the men are able to share responsibilities in a home,” she said.

 

WfC is one of the 14 implementing partners of the Diakonia Zambia funded Strengthened Accountability Programme (SAP II) which aims at holding duty bearers accountable as well as mainstreaming gender equity and equality in communities.

 

Ms Kalenge said she is happy to note that some men and women would today take up roles that were formerly adjudged to be for one sex only.

 

“...one key such notable change is where a woman from the group is chairing the community borehole committee. If the knowledge spreads to other parts of the community, we are going to see a community that is better empowered with knowledge to support women's rights and gender equity and equality. I think we have a lot more to do but we are headed in the right direction,” she said.

 

Cainos Mujuku is chairperson of the Jokwe community radio listening group in Zimba. He, together with 35 other members have been instrumental in implementing the programmes on the group, with the support of Women for Change.

 

“It may have just been a play, but those are things that used to happen here. Much as they could still be happening, at least we are happy with the progress we have been seeing so far. It shows that there is gradual change, at both community and personal level,” he said.