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Tendai Rupapa–Senior Reporter
FIRST Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa underlined her passion for the empowerment of the previously marginalised Doma community in Kanyemba and its integration with the rest of the country by spending a week among the people in search of tangible solutions to the challenges they face.
Kanyemba is Zimbabwe’s northernmost point, diagonally opposite the confluence of Luangwa and Zambezi rivers, with the Zambian town of Luangwa to the north and Mozambique’s Zumbo town to the east.
Amai Mnangagwa held a male engagement session in the community to help arrest child marriages, gender-based violence, drug abuse and teaching them about family planning and what it means.
Health experts told the First Lady that new HIV infections were on the decline in the district, thanks to her interventions as the country’s health ambassador.
The male engagement session has since been taken to all the country’s 10 provinces.
However, the mother of the nation decided to take the programme to Kanyemba.
Amai Mnangagwa donated rice, sugar, maize-meal, finger millet, snacks, cooking oil, salt, clothing for all age groups, shoes, buckets and toys among other goodies.
For schools, she provided stationery and sports kits.
All the 31 villages represented by their headmen in Kanyemba Ward 1 received all the goodies.
To start the proceedings, the First Lady asked for permission to address men with respect to the country’s cultural norms and values.
“As Zimbabweans we respect men as heads of households, hence we respect you vana baba nemadzimambo,” she said.
“Today we have come to talk to you regarding the placement of our children on the correct path which makes our family name grow. There are issues of diseases that affect men only like prostate cancer among many others.
“As men, are you going for health checks so that you get help and continue looking after the family? Health is important so as Health Ambassador I urge you to go for constant health checks so that you know where you stand.
“I heard that when other men are diagnosed with HIV, they take their medication from their pocket without advising their spouses who may even die without the knowledge of the disease. Do you know about family planning?
“Women in this community told me that men no longer want to work and are just always busy making us pregnant in the bedroom. Women need time to recover, hence the need for child spacing.
“Do you see it appropriate that you stop working for the family? If you bear many children, will you be able to look after them?
“Is it justified to beat up your wife because she is tired of giving birth or beating her for deciding to work and look after the family?
“Do you understand that fighting in front of the children may lead them to drug abuse?
“We have come as women to seek your assistance. Some parents, including women, are now selling drugs to children. Children are dying and developing mental health challenges because of drugs which are eating them inside. These children are the future of the country.
“Promiscuity I hear is the major contributing factor to domestic violence. Where did cheating come from, who is starting domestic violence?”
In response, one man said; “When we marry our wives they will be presentable and bathing well, but once in the home this ceases and this forces us to look for other women outside. When they find out that we are cheating, that is when we start fighting yet they are the ones who would have caused it. Plus they deny us conjugal rights.”
Mrs Egena Kachasi admitted that they denied men conjugal rights because the area was too hot yet the men demanded sex frequently.
“This area is too hot, but the men want their conjugal rights from sunrise to sunset.
“They also do not want to work, but to make us bear more children that we can’t support. They do not want family planning and my husband stopped me from taking family planning tablets.
“He asked me to choose between family planning pills and my marriage. To save my marriage, I stopped taking the pills. I was breastfeeding, but now I am pregnant again.
“He thinks having many children is a sign of masculinity. If he spends most of his time in the bedroom, when will he work for the family? I am glad you have come to rescue us Amai and educate our husbands on family planning. I hope men will change due to your teachings,” she said.
Sister Maindy Chipokosa, the district nursing officer, decried that the community was reluctant to use family planning.
“We are trying to teach them about family planning but they are reluctant to use it because men object to this. I am thankful you have come to teach them, reinforcing what we teach them as health officials.
“According to statistics this province tops in child marriages and child bearing. Also Amai we discovered that they practice polygamy a lot and the wives will start bearing children as competition,” she said.
The First Lady explained that family planning does not translate to stopping child bearing, but promotes spacing and limit numbers to manageable levels.
“We need to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted. The major thrust is to enhance awareness on contraception with more emphasis on encouraging everyone, male or female to make informed decisions on sexual and reproductive health.
“Contraceptive use should not be interpreted as discouraging families to have the number of children they want but taking due diligence on the planning and spacing of such births,” the First Lady said.
An elderly man said men were being made to bear the brunt of their promiscuous wives by looking after other men’s children.
This, he said, caused domestic violence.
“These women are cheating and making us look after other men’s children. If I catch my wife with a lover, I will blast her. Only men can have more than one wife, not vice versa. Promiscuity is causing domestic violence. Amai speaks to these women to stick to one man,” he said, triggering laughter.
Mr Chibaiwa Chivhuta accused women in the area of being untidy.
“Untidiness is making us leave them. The way they are smart today is because they heard you were coming because they bath once a week. If you are to go to their houses now, you cannot even drink water because of untidiness.
“We would rather have girlfriends until they practice good hygiene. We are thankful for your visit and we believe they have learnt and they will change,” he said.
The First Lady addressed all the concerns raised by both men and women and the community promised to change due to the wise counsel.
As Environment patron, she spoke candidly against the burning of trees and forests saying this kills people, destroys the natural habitat of wild animals and other creatures.
A representative of the National Aids Council praised the First Lady for working closely with the community.
“New HIV infections are on the decline showing that the teachings you are bringing Amai are helping a lot and people are listening to your teachings.
“Each time you come Amai, you bring along doctors to have them checked free of charge and advised of the dangers of sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV, this has helped this community to a greater extent,” he said.
Making their presentation, the police said rape cases involving minors were high while older persons were also being raped by their spouses
“Here rape cases are high, especially minors being raped and women being raped by their husbands. This is causing many unwanted pregnancies.
“Sexual abuse cases are also rising and these are perpetrated by relatives and neighbours. GBV cases are also high with women on the receiving end. As police Amai, we are trying by all means to address this and we are happy with the work you are putting in to educate the masses of Zimbabwe,” the police said.
Chief Chapoto, Mr Enoch Chapoto, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her benevolence and inclining an ear to his community’s concerns.
“Here in Kanyemba Christmas has come in October because Amai brought us life lessons, food, clothes and many other things. People were treated free of charge by local and international doctors and we thank Amai for her love and kindness. She spent a week with us showing how much she has Kanyemba at heart,” he said.
Mr Thomas Museyi said since Independence in 1980, he had never seen a First Lady with love similar to that shown by Amai Mnangagwa.
“She has given us a sense of belonging. She has improved our way of life and continues doing a lot for us and may God grant her more,” he said.
Similar words were shared by Mr Sife Mbano who said: “We can only thank God for giving us such a caring mother who never leaves us in any of her programmes. We were downtrodden, but she is doing all in her might to uplift us.”
Mrs Tamari Kanyemba was overjoyed by the food assistance.
“We can now eat good food because of our caring mother. She gives us a taste of good life each time she comes and now we have been trained in detergent-making and petroleum jelly making. This is the most wonderful thing I must thank God for. We have a caring mother,” she said.
Mrs Tadzira Ngoshi could be seen dancing and ululating with delight.
“I can now send my children to school because of Amai’s love. She gave us books and other provisions for the home which we surely needed. I just seem not to have the right words to thank her enough,” she said.
Online Reporter