‘Water key for rural women’

Post Reporter
ZANU-PF national secretary for transport, Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, has decried the stalled completion of Marovanyati Dam, saying it was hindering efforts to improve livelihoods for rural women.

Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri, who was this week reassigned as the new Minister of Water, Climate and Environment made the remarks while addressing a Zanu-PF inter-district meeting in Buhera where she said Marovanyati Dam had taken too long to complete.

Deputy Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa and Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Samuel Undenge, who is the acting Zanu-PF provincial chairman and legislators from Buhera attended the meeting held at Murambinda B Primary School.

“We want the rural women to be empowered and have their livelihoods improved through small gardening projects among others. Our rural women are industrious, but the major challenge in Buhera is water. Buhera is drought-prone which makes the availability of water reservoirs a top priority.

“I am the one who launched that dam as Governor of Manicaland in 2000 and 15 years down the line, the goal to avail reliable water in Buhera has not been realised. It draws backs efforts to empower rural women,” said Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri.

The incoming minister in charge of water said the ministry must fast-track the completion of the water project as well as facilitate the sinking of boreholes throughout the drought-prone district.

“Water is the source of life. Water is a right. You cannot sustain rural livelihoods without water. So we will make sure this is corrected,” said Cde Muchinguri-Kashiri.

She said Government had come up with a women bank — with a $5 million grant meant to support rural women.

Under rural finance, farmers will have access to financial services to support productive activities. The success of the agriculture sector is anchored on the adequacy of financing arrangements.

The bank will create a platform that creates credit history for farmers which the farmer can use as collateral. The farmers, finance institutions, private sector — will be registered on the platform and each time a farmer transacts, the transaction is recorded.

She said Government focus should also be on stimulating agricultural markets through innovative approaches that can unlock value chain market blockages to create opportunities for the benefit of smallholder rural farmers.

She said apart from crops, women should also venture into livestock, fisheries, honey and natural products and their value addition.

She said this was one effective way in which resource poor rural women and communities could deal with shocks and stress that are worsened by the effects of climate change.