Telling the ECSA Story

The battle for equality, for many Shangani women in Zimbabwe Chiredzi, was a lost cause, because the conservative culture did not permit women to lead or have any say at both the community and family level.  Like many women in Guluji village, ward 22 in Chiredzi, Rosie Farai, did not know the potential that she had because she had never been given the opportunity to voice out her ideas.  “Before the project came, my husband did not allow me to make any decisions in the home and I had no assets to my name. We were supposed to be very conservative as women. I had no part in the farming activities. I was supposed to follow what he said.  “I did not own anything, everything was owned by my husband, we had very few livestock and our farming activities were not fruitful because of the hot weather conditions and droughts. The marriage was very hard and painful because we used to fight at times and he would beat me. I think this is common when there is no money in the home,” sai...

It’s a bright day in Koch, Gabriel Yatbouth-56 in white branded T-shirt, together with other members of the farmers group have gathered at the demonstration garden. This is the usual meeting place for the farmers group. Gabriel is married with 26 children and three wives. He is a businessman trading in a variety of items like sugar, sorghum, salt, and other items. Farming is a new skill that Gabriel and his group members have learnt. Koch, being a pastoral community, most of the people depend on keeping livestock for their livelihoods. Agriculture is done on a small scale. The area is however prone to flooding. Last year, the floods destroyed livelihoods causing displacements in flood affected communities aggravating the already dire humanitarian situation. To build community resilience in Koch, CARE and partners through the South Sudan Joint Response project, supported farmers like Gabriel with seeds and trained them on how to grow their own food to improve their food situation. “They...