Sundaymail Editor
Online Reporters
Zimbabwe will join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Rural Women on Friday.
The commemorations are set to take place in Zvishavane.
The International Day for Rural Women, which was adopted by the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, will run under the national theme: ‘Women Empowerment: Key Element in Building Resilience to the Covid-19 Pandemic.’
The day’s activities in Zvishavane will include exhibitions of various products made by rural women.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development deputy Minister Jennifer Mhlanga said empowering rural women is an important strategy to achieve Vision 2030.
“The International Day for Rural Women has become important in acknowledging the voices of rural women, taking note of their diversity, their roles and circumstances.
“This theme resonates with the Ministry’s mandate to empower rural women through skills development, funding for income generating projects and provision of appropriate capacity in order to build resilience and sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
Deputy Minister Mhlanga applauded Government for setting up programmes that empower women across the country, and called upon stakeholders to support developmental projects.
She condemned child marriages, saying that the Ministry has established a One-Stop-Shop Center that will help victims.
“We continue to condemn such acts and urge you all to report such incidents to the relevant authorities. We need to work together and bring the perpetrators to book.
“The Ministry and its partners continue to empower rural women and girls and provide services to survivors in the establishment of safe shelters and one-stop-shop centers located in the vicinity of the provincial and district health centers, which provide comprehensive services namely, medical, psychological and legal to ensure that survivors receive quality care,” she said.
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