TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The chairperson of the Bulawayo chapter of Young Women for Economic Development, Sandra Ndebele (pictured), has called on women to take part in projects that are being rolled out by the government in order to improve sustainability of their livelihoods and boost the economy.
The organisation, which was launched by the First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, in August this year, and is open to all Zimbabweans regardless of political affiliation, held an outreach programme on Monday this week at the Bulawayo Athletic Club.
The Bulawayo outreach ran under the theme Your Network is your Net Worth, and was targeting women from the ages of 18 to 45.
Ndebele said women from the province should not miss the opportunity to uplift themselves and the economy.
“The biggest hindrance to the empowerment and development of young people we have in Zimbabwe right now is the politicisation of everything. We deny ourselves great opportunities and we ostracise ourselves from great ideas simply because we assume that they belong to a particular person, group or political party,” said Ndebele who is also an artiste.
She added: “These opportunities are presented to us each and every day, but we have blinkered ourselves and we do not see them.
“We have become so caught up in the thick of thin things that we fail to take advantage of all the glorious prospects our land and our resources have to offer. We need to revise the way we think and act.”
She said women are integral to the revival of the economy and the role of young women in economic development “is like a currency whose value does not diminish”.
“Enhancing women’s participation in development is essential not only for achieving social justice but also for reducing poverty.
“Worldwide experience shows clearly that supporting a stronger role for women contributes to economic growth. In short, investing in women is central to sustainable development,” Ndebele said.
“And yet, despite these known returns, women still face many barriers in contributing to and benefiting from economic development.”
Research has widely alluded to the fact that girls and young women are an important economic agents of change.
Their participation in the economic sector is highly limited.
The Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Judith Ncube, who was the guest of honour, said there is a need for a shift in perception where women support each other.
“As women, we need to change the stereotype that women do not support each other.
“I believe that if we support each other, we will become more successful. A woman alone has power and collectively we have an impact. Raising each other up and channelling the power of collaboration will assist us to change the equation,” Ncube said.
She said the participation of women in economic development was fundamental to the National Development Strategy 1.
“NDS1 recognises that women’s full and equal participation in the country’s economy is a vital step towards achieving sustainable development.
“Various programmes have been put in place to ensure that women fully and actively participate in all sectors of the economy,” Ncube said.
