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Before being trained by Gender Links my life was not okay. Yes I used do gardening and also selling my produce but I did not manage to support myself nor my family. I did not even know how to read and write properly but was not worried about it. I thought it was not necessary for me to read and write since my business was just gardening and selling the produce. I also had no one to pay school fees for me which led to me stopping school at the end of grade 7. The workshops opened my eyes to the need for learning how to read and write. I am now able to read simple materials though spellings are still difficult for me.
Sometime in 2014 my friend called me and asked to go to La Hacienda hotel to register for training by Gender Links. When I arrived at the hotel the people from Gender links interviewed me about my life and helped me to write my ‘I’ story. I later attended all the three courses. The lessons about self-esteem were especially very important for me because the GBV I went through had made me feel very inferior. During the lessons I felt that I was a human being like anyone else. Before the lessons, every reminder of the issues made me feel very bad and led me to lose memory but now I have control of my life and concentrate on the good. The business lessons were also very important for me. I am now able to save some money. Loss of memory and lack of self-confidence which made it difficult for me to fully participate in the first training were my main challenges. But by the last workshop I was able to slowly overcome these obstacles as the sessions built my self-esteem.
I started gardening on a small scale – growing maize and vegetables. I am still gardening but have diversified the products to include beans, cotton, paprika and cassava. I however, have challenges because the headman wants to grab 4 acres of land from my family. We went to court but judgment was against us because the judge was allegedly corrupted by the headman’s family since they have a lot of money. This will affect my expansion plans because now as a family, we only have 6 acres on which to produce food for the family and for my gardening business. The training has helped me to know how to balance my books and to also be self-confident. The entrepreneurship workshops have also helped me to know where to seek help from. During the land issue, I was able to approach the council and victim support unit. The council assisted as we waited for the court judgment, I was further able to approach a local councilor who has promised to help my family and the other people around the same area. My siblings who are also pastors in the church have been of great help to me as they continued to encourage me.
I was being abused by my employers but this has not continued because l left employment. Members of my family have understood and continue to support me. Members of my family are supportive of my situation – I tend to forget a lot of things but they are always there for me. Yes, there is a connection between economic empowerment and GBV. I was abused for a long time because I did not have means to look after myself. My self-esteem was very low, my temper was really bad.
Community Members come to me for gardening ideas which is something new following the workshops. Our garden is also used during open days which bring together people from Namibia, Kenya and the local community. We demonstrate how the garden is managed. Our produce is soya beans, cotton, maize, cassava and various vegetables. In this sense the change that has happened to me influences members of the community because they see the improvements in my livelihood and the way I grow and market my produce. I have also been taking part in sensitizing women on GBV during the women fellowship meetings at our church (Salvation Army).
In a way my actions have had some influence on the policies of the council. Before the training, the council was not really willing to help us women but now I can see a change in their attitude towards us. The council has put in place a 30 per cent land policy in favor of women. They have opened their doors to enable us approach them for any information.
From the trainings, I learnt to believe in myself, how to run a business, marketing, balancing books and saving. My future plans are to building my own home; I already have a plot. I also want to grow my business so that I can even take my produce to Chirundu. I would like to thank all the people who have helped me, especially Auntie Betty.
📝Read the emotional article by @nokwe_mnomiya, with a personal plea: 🇿🇦Breaking the cycle of violence!https://t.co/6kPcu2Whwm pic.twitter.com/d60tsBqJwx
— Gender Links (@GenderLinks) December 17, 2024
Comment on Zambia: Eunice Chinkuli