TJ: When you talk of women’s rights, what rights are you talking about?
YM: I believe that women’s rights should not just be confined to the public arena or be seen as a subject for activists, politicians and governments. Women’s rights are about how women live their daily lives at home and in society. It is about how women are treated when they choose not to conform to society’s expectations.
TJ: How did you get involved in this field?
YM: Growing up in the western suburbs of Bulawayo in the 1960s and being the middle child in a family of seven children, I watched and observed the struggles and sacrifices that my parents went through in order to put food on the table for us.
I sometimes witnessed the brutality of the system, which would not allow my mother and other women to sell their wares without a hawker’s licence. These were ordinary women who were not committing a crime but were using their God-given abilities and skills to try and earn a living. Such memories lingered as I grew up. I guess it was during those formative years as a child that the seeds of social justice were planted.
TJ: What are you most proud of having achieved for women of Zimbabwe?
YM: When I lived in the United Kingdom, I was the co-founder of the Zimbabwe Women’s Network-UK, which grew to be a national organisation.
It was set up to ensure that Zimbabwean women living in the UK would have a platform and a space to come together in a culturally sensitive and safe environment and be able to discuss issues of concern to them.
The network enabled us to speak for ourselves and strengthen our community and leverage on policy issues. We demonstrated that we were stronger if we were organised rather than speaking individually. Beyond that, the network promoted the positive image of Zimbabwean women who are contributing to the Zimbabwean economy by sending remittances back home.
‘Women have been the backbone of the economy’
TJ: Are the Zimbabwean laws doing enough to protect or uplift women’ rights?
YM: The Zimbabwean government has signed up to the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, agreeing to ensure 50 percent of women’s representation at all levels of decision making.
Laws have to be implemented, acted upon, respected and there has to be monitoring and accountability. There are a lot of organisations in Zimbabwe working tirelessly to ensure that women’s voices are heard and that women’s issues are reflected in laws that are meant to protect and uplift women.
However, much more still needs to be done. Women continue to experience poverty, ill health, domestic violence and a lack of representation at local government and parliamentary levels. Laws alone will not uplift women but there is need to change society’s mindset, culture and beliefs about how women are treated.
TJ: What do you think can be done to empower women at the grassroots level?
YM: We need to build the self-esteem and aspirations of our girls and make them realise that there is a bigger and better life beyond their neighbourhoods.
As women and girls, we need to be more curious and adventurous and not be afraid to take risks.
Education, information, positive parenting and economic empowerment should be at the centre of empowering our women.
We must make grassroots women realise that their dreams need not end at the bottom of the pile but that with hard work, resilience and perseverance they can climb mountains.
TJ: In your opinion, what are the key issues facing Zimbabwean women today?
YM: I believe that one of the key issues facing women is the need for us to understand the mostly male dominated areas of financial education such as accumulating assets, saving for old age and understanding the law.
This is a problem the world over and, given the global crisis in financial institutions and markets, it is already clear that when it comes to understanding the world of finance, women are way behind man. Financial education is therefore the ultimate frontier that we need to come to grips with.
TJ: Do you think women have made a significant contribution to the Zimbabwean economy?
YM: It is well documented that women in Zimbabwe have been the backbone of the economy and continue to be so.
It is the women who contribute significantly to the economy through their various entrepreneurial activities.
‘Much more still needs to be done’
The informal sector in Zimbabwe is largely composed of women who are mostly grassroots women.
They continue to work hard and help to sustain the economy of the country, yet their efforts are not recognised and the playing field is still not level for the majority of those women.
TJ: Do you consider yourself a feminist?
YM: Yes, I am a feminist. To me feminism is simply a framework that provides me and other like-minded men or women with a platform to ensure that women’s issues are addressed. Feminism is about working to ensure that women are given a voice and opportunities to enable them to make decisions that affect their lives.
TJ: Who is Yvonne Marimo?
YM: I am a social entrepreneur and businesswoman. I am a community activist, campaigner and advocate for women’s rights. I am a speaker, facilitator, trainer and mentor.
I believe in the philosophy of ‘my sister’s keeper’ and ‘my brother’s keeper’; we must look out for each other. I believe in reaching out to others, particularly women, and inspiring them to tap into their inner resources, challenging them to have self-belief, self -love and self-determination to enable them to develop their full potential.
Post published in: News