adminVictoria Ruzvidzo Business Focus
“No woman No Cry” is a universally popular hit song by the late Bob Marley which pays tribute to women. It is patently clear that women affect various facets of our lives regardless of one’s gender. A fortnight ago Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Women’s Day.
Speeches were made and messages were written. Some of them true and yet others understated or exaggerated.
Women play a multiplicity of roles at all levels, be it family units, communities, organizations, nationally and globally such that not even the largest celebratory carnival across the breadth of the country would do justice in honouring their efforts.
However, in Zimbabwe, women’s potential is far from being realised and it is unfortunate that in this instance women themselves are their own worst enemies.
Despite a lot of talk and conferencing, women still fall far short in terms of their contribution to the economy and this is precisely because organisations that purport to represent women’s interests have largely failed to carry their mandate with honesty and integrity.
Over the last 34 years, hundreds of women in business organisations have been established but there is nothing much to show for it.
These seem serious and eager to make a difference but all this often fizzles out a few years or months after set-up.
Most of these organisations have their visions and missions clearly laid out in high-sounding words that convince everyone that real work is about to begin.
But these visions become blurred as days, months and years go by.
The desire to empower the grassroots level, the working class woman or the business woman seems to just fade when real money begins to flow, either from donors or members.
Whatever programmes and projects that are put in place often lack follow through because other interests, Yes!
Personal interests, come into play.
I could count a number of such organisations that have done much, with only the executive members benefiting from one deal or another at the expense of the rest of the membership.
My intention is not on name-calling but to galvanise these organisations into keeping their mandates for a candle loses nothing by lighting another.
In fact, it is more rewarding to empower others, even at the expense of self. But the cake is big enough.
Let’s share it!
However, this is not to say there are none that have shown seriousness and consistency in empowering and honouring women that have made a difference, only they are in the minority.
In the last two decades or so I have witnessed a lot of pomp and fanfare at the launch of dozens of women’s organisations but a simple audit of achievements by these organisations present a very sad picture.
Of course, in most of these cases the executives are having a time of their lives in terms of securing deals and making connections but the benefits are not filtering down to the rest of the membership.
Clearly on paper, these organisations are benevolent and yet in practice that is sadly not the case.
The very adversity that women face individually or collectively makes it mandatory for unity of purpose.
There are numerous examples of heart-rending stories that one hears whatever one’s station is.
This should compel us to expend all our energies in taking care of each other.
It would appear that our efforts are fragmented, disjointed and self-serving.
Perhaps we may substitute that with co-ordinated, coherent and selflessness.
There is more that can be achieved through presenting a united front against the myriad of challenges on the way to the top.
Maybe it is time we looked ourselves in the mirror, self-introspect and see how we can effectively move forward. What affects one must affect us all.
We have a collective destiny and a role to play in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation.
In God I trust!
Online Reporter