Takunda Sustainable, Equitable, and Resilient Food, Nutrition, and Income Security in Manicaland (Buhera and Mutare) and Masvingo (Chivi and Zaka). Financial Year 2021 Q1-4
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https://linktr.ee/takundarfsa
Manicaland Buhera & Mutare Rural
Masvingo Chivi & Zaka
Understanding the Patterns of Power Affecting Women MAY 31, 2021: At 43 years old, SEBINA MASUKUTA carried eight pregnancies to term- four of them being home births, “My last pregnancy was difficult. I didn’t have enough to eat, and the baby kept threatening to present early because of my asthma attacs. My daughter is seven months old and I don’t know why she still can’t walk.” Out of eight pregnancies, Sebina lost two children under the age of 5. © Charmaine Chitate/ CARE
Twenty years ago, a young SEBINA MASUKUTA met and married the love of her life, a man from Museki village, twenty years senior, “I just wanted to have children.” Her wish was fulfilled that year same year as they welcomed their first daughter. Life would soon prove it wasn’t meant to be. At just 20 months, Sebina’s daughter fell sick with an unknown illness and passed away, leaving her mother heartbroken. Trying to fill the
vacuum in her heart left by her late child, Sebina fell pregnant again, and in 2004, gave birth to another girlat home. In 2012, feeling society’s scorn for not having a son, she became worried when she couldn’t feel any movements from the baby. “I went to the hospital, and they said everything was fine. When I got home, something triggered my asthma, and I went into early labour.” Sebina and her husband tried to make their way back to the hospital.
Still, it was too late as she gave birth on the way, “He was alive for less than an hour and died because we didn’t wrap him up in time.” It was the boy she always wanted.
a few. In its preliminary findings, the study indicated that male elders would only parcel land to their sons upon marriage- allowing men to control more land than women.
Now 43, Sebina’s hopes for a boy are not unfounded; instead, they reflect feedback shared during the development of the Takunda Gender Analysis. The overall objective of the analysis was to identify gender gaps, practices which influence patterns of power and control of assets, to name
With four daughters and no son, Sebina was unable to hold onto her late husband’s estate. One of the key findings highlighted in the gender analysis is women’s ability to develop coping solutions to support their families. Sebina re-married.
Sebina’s second husband is from Nhando village, which borders Museki village, “I wanted someone who could take care of me and do the same.” However, she could not take her children from a previous marriage, and someone came to the rescue, “My late husband’s sister offered to take care of the girls.”
“My last pregnancy was difficult. I didn’t have enough to eat, and the baby kept threatening to come early because of my asthma. My daughter is seven months old, but she’s unable to sit, and I don’t know why.” She faces yet another challenge. Written by: Charmaine Chitate
Soured by her experiences giving birth at home, Sebina’s ensuing pregnancies in the new marriage were all delivered at a hospital.
Finding the Young Voices Every week, DESMOND JEKE (20) meets with his peers for a friendly match at the nearest soccer grounds in Ward 3, Zaka District. The regular meetups give Desmond and his peers time to unwind and set aside concerns about their future. Like Desmond, some of them have completed senior school and are unable to proceed to tertiary school due to financial constraints. Desmond is just one of two young men who attended the broader village sensitization meeting for the Village Development Committee (VIDCO) 3. VIDCO 3 consists of three villages, Mahora/Tizirai 1, Chisandako and Nhando. Noticing that his age group was underrepresented at the meeting, Desmond invited some of his peers to attend the following session. According to Desmond, the low attendance level was due to the consistent exclusion of young people in the early stages of development programmes, “I’ve never seen a meeting where we are called in as youth to discuss our aspirations.” He goes on to share some of the challenges young people face in attending meetings, “It is difficult to get a young person to commit to attending as my peers can outrightly refuse to be associated with a meeting or are easily influenced against attending a meeting.” A perceptive young
man, Desmond’s solution is simple, “I think, if you want the youth to meet and participate, you must engage our parents, not the headman. If you arrange a meeting with our parents, explain and seek consent from them for us to attend the meeting, it puts them in a better position to urge us to attend the meeting and plan for our future.” Takunda, a USAID-funded Activity, is working towards the co-creation of youth-oriented opportunities with its partners. Aiming to empower over 3,000 young people with vocational skills training, the Takunda community visioning process will inform the selection of projects as identified by communities and assess their feasibility based on information shared regarding past projects. The underrepresentation of young people during the community visioning process has echoed throughout Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces. Working towards a remedy, Takunda staff began to implement an innovative approach towards youth engagement, “We noticed that youth participation varies from one Ward to another. What we have learnt since we started the CV process is to rope in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation, ... continued Pg 3.
JUNE 01, 2021: Desmond, far back with red hat, sits with his peers as they conduct discussion using the community visioning tools. Upon completion, Desmond and his peers went on to facilitate discussions for other sub-groups in VIDCO 3. © Charmaine Chitate/ CARE