NEW: Income-generating projects for commercial sex workers

Theseus Shambare in GOROMONZI

COMMERCIAL sex workers in Epworth, Goromonzi and Murehwa have started income-generating projects as a way of empowering themselves.

With assistance from Springs of Life, a private voluntary organisation, commercial sex workers have been trained and started various income-generating projects including bakery, poultry and making re-usable sanitary pads.

Tendai Gutsa from Goromonzi, a commercial sex worker, said she was happy to be part of the team that was doing the poultry project, and she was looking forward to leaving the profession.

“Sex work is out of desperation, and if we get more income-generating projects we can leave the profession,” she said.

Another sex worker who only identified herself as Chido, said she was happy to be part of the team that was engaged in income-generating projects.

“I am happy that I am not just leaving the risky profession, but I am now doing a project that impacts on the girl child.

“We are now producing re-usable sanitary pads for girls who were finding it hard to get money to buy those expensive disposable pads,” she said.

Springs of Life director, Mr Layton Marisa, said they were working with sex workers to improve their way of life.

“We work with sex workers, both male and female, and we are doing various income-generating projects to sustain them and their families.

“We started with the poultry project, and we moved on to open a bakery and the most recent one, the re-usable sanitary wear factory,” said Mr Marisa.

The bakery, she said, suffered from economic constraints during the Covid-19 lockdown, but is set to be re-opened.

“Above all, we are doing community-led monitoring, where we have community health workers who are going to hospitals and collecting data on sex workers’ access to healthcare.

“Under this, we have managed to ensure that clinics in these communities establish patient-friendly rooms to ensure privacy for people living with HIV/AIDS,” he said.

Of late, she said, they managed to ensure that access to treatment is free of charge.

“The testimonials are only an indication that as long as a person is alive, there is room for improvement and growth.

“Yes, the road has been rocky but there is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Mr Marisa.