First Lady’s Empowerment Initiative Boosts Widows’ Lives in Zimbabwe
In a heartwarming story of empowerment and resilience, a group of 22 widows in Zimbabwe’s Sanyati district have transformed their lives with the help of a goat and poultry project initiated by the country’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa.
The project, which began with a donation of three goats, groceries, and financial assistance in June, has now grown to include 34 goats, broilers, a home bakery for confectionery products, tuckshops, and a sewing project. The widows also run the Rimuka Vegetable Market, where several people are earning a living.
Mrs. Prisca Mazorodze, one of the widows, expressed her gratitude to the First Lady, saying that she had restored dignity to widows who struggled with life after losing their husbands. "As widows, we had no plan and we were being looked down upon by society, but Amai (Mnangagwa) came to Patchway in Chakari and gave us widows financial support while others got groceries," she said. "We used the money donated to buy goats to add to the three we had received which we intend to wean off and give other widows to also be empowered."
The initiative has not only provided financial stability but has also taken off the burden of loneliness, allowing the widows to meet and share insights into life and its challenges.
Sanyati First Lady Widows Association chairperson Mrs. Sarah Mabvuramiti hailed the First Lady for restoring dignity to widows through empowerment initiatives. "We have seen many widows being empowered and we would like to thank the First Lady and the community for working together with us," she said.
Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Marian Chombo, who toured the projects in Luwana, Chakari, and Kadoma, was impressed with the widows’ progress. "I am very impressed with what the widows here are doing. The goats are multiplying and I can see you are now baking buns, doughnuts. The seed that the First Lady planted is flourishing," she said.
The association now has 3,000 members throughout Sanyati district, all expected to benefit through pass-on initiatives and trickle-down effects. The Minister encouraged widows in other districts to emulate the Sanyati model, empowering themselves and shunning unnecessary conflicts.
This inspiring story showcases the positive impact of the First Lady’s empowerment initiatives, which are transforming the lives of many widows in Zimbabwe.