But Zimbabwean women are now challenging the patriarchal system and taking up leadership roles in their communities. In both urban and rural areas women are standing up against injustice, defending their social and economic rights as enshrined in the new Constitution and developing their communities for the benefit of future generations.
Dolorosa Mubvumbi, 53, From Mutoko village in Mashonaland East is one such woman. She was recently recognised by a US-based organisation, the Giraffe Heroes Project, for her role in environmental conservation.
Risk taker
A risk taker who has been instrumental in environmental rehabilitation, Mubvumbi established the Budya Environment Conservation Trust (BECT) in 2009 after realising that the environment was being damaged by extensive granite mining and there was need for the local community to repossess their degraded land.
“The environment is being ravaged by the mining that is taking place at an alarming rate here in Mutoko,” said Mubvumbi. “Companies were mining granite but the communities were not benefitting anything from these ventures. The miners also chased wild animals from the area, which disadvantaged the local community. Our land was being mortgaged to foreigners who do not even care about the people or the environmental degradation that they were causing,” she said.
Mutoko’s extensive granite rock deposits are highly valued for their shininess as well as being easy to craft into tombstones, surfaces for buildings and other precious uses. It is mined mostly by foreign nationals, including the Chinese and Croatians – often causing extensive environmental degradation.
Houses and schools are damaged because of the impact of dynamite blasting that takes place daily.
Organic farming
After establishing the Trust, Mubvumbi mobilised her community to set up an organic farming project to empower villagers. It now has 200 members and concentrates on herbal and vegetable farming.
“The villagers farm herbs as well as green vegetables and the aim is to transform and reclaim the land and soils degraded by granite mining,” said Dolorosa.
The trust also trains mine workers on issues of workers safety and it assists those whose rights have been violated.
Her journey has not been an easy walk considering the environment she is operating in. Mutoko is a “heavily politicised” area where Zanu (PF) members often threaten her and her colleagues to desist from interfering with granite mining. But Dolorosa is not deterred and she vowed to continue working for the upliftment of the community, despite threats from Zanu (PF) stalwarts, the majority of whom are beneficiaries of mining in one way or another.
Safeguard
“They are saying I am an agent of the imperialists but that is not the case,” said Dolorosa. “My duty is to safeguard the environment and advocate for the total benefit for the people of Mutoko from granite mining.”
Giraffe Heroes Zimbabwe (GHZ) Chairperson, Terry Mutsvanga, said the organisation strives to recognize “unsung heroes” that have contributed in society with the hope of motivating the younger generation to take responsibility for their natural resources.
“We want to cultivate a culture of responsibility and ownership among future generations through our work,” said Mutsvanga. “A lot of community based initiatives do not get the support and attention they deserve, unsung heroes’ contributions go unnoticed and this impacts negatively on the development of communities.
“We are now calling for nominations of individuals from around Zimbabwe who deserve to be honoured for their outstanding contributions to advocating for social and economic rights as well as contributing positively in communities they reside in,” he added.
The Giraffe Heroes Project, founded in the US in 1982, was launched with the purpose of motivating more people to “stick their necks out” for the common good, and to give them tools to succeed.
The initiative has been launched in India, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Egypt. Although completely independent, all are inspired by the work of the Giraffe Heroes Project.
Post published in: Gender Equality