Zimbabwe: Unity Jaji

I am 52 years old, the second born in a family of seven girls and five boys (3 deceased). I am married and we are blessed with four daughters. I completed my primary and secondary education at the rural schools in Gutu and my tertiary education at the University of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 1990. I am a holder of a degree in Management, Masters degree in Business Administration and am computer literate. My interest in gender work started when I was the Employment and Careers Development Officer for the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. However, for the past twenty years, I have used my current post as the Assistant Director of Housing and Administration for the City of Gweru to further my gender work. I am also the Chairperson of the council’s Inter Departmental Gender Committee, Chairperson of the Gender Co-coordinating Committee for the Midlands Province, Secretary of the Midlands Province Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Board and Vice Secretary of Women in Local Government Forum Zimbabwe. With the support of the Gender Links Zimbabwe Office, I have used every opportunity I get to encourage the girl child to train in male dominated careers. My major goal has been to enforce gender policies in the community and change the attitudes of males towards women in a male dominated environment. Although my efforts have been met with challenges of male chauvinism, I have learnt to be factual and bold in my endeavors. My passion in gender work was heightened in 2011 when I participated in the Local Government Gender Justice Regional Summit at Kopanong in South Africa in the Centre of Excellence (COE) Institutional Category and received an award as a runner up. Since that time, I have learnt to promptly recognize gender abuse and rectify it.

I commit myself to promote gender sensitivity and justice at home, in my organization and community. I advocate for people to always see, talk, think, teach and do good. I want to be the change I want to see and will strive to make everyone do the same. There are marginalized girls and women whose lone voices can be heard through vocal people like me. Promotion of gender equality for gender equity and justice starts with me. I want to mentor all women and girls in my network to be gender aware and participate in civic processes and development.

As the Assistant Director of Housing and Administration, I rent out council houses, sell residential stands and houses, assess development of the stands, and report to Council. I also research and input into the formulation of housing policies. I am responsible for manpower planning, development, performance appraisal, and discipline, budgetary preparation and control. As the gender focal person, I spearhead gender programmes in the council and the community. I chair the council’s Interdepartmental Gender Committee and the Midlands Province Gender Programmes Coordinating Committee; I am the secretary of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Board for the Midlands province and the vice secretary of the Zimbabwe Women in Local Government Forum. I am responsible for information dissemination and the implementation of programmes related to gender based violence, HIV/AIDS, income generating projects, gender trainings, sexual harassment, Abuse and where to report, legal instruments on gender. I initiate research programmes aimed at improving gender policies and engendering service delivery in the council (i.e. provision of clean water, good sanitation facilities, housing/accommodation, public lighting, safe roads, health facilities, economic development, gender budgeting, refuse removal, sewerage, civic education etc). I am also involved in women empowerment through the provision of mentorship programmes. The City of Gweru is a hub council that mentors other councils in gender mainstreaming and I am the focal person in this endeavor. I represent the council at local government gender meetings, workshops, commemorations and summits where I am responsible for sharing gender information and role modelling.

On challenges,pushing for gender equality in my organisation is hampered by lack of resources which is exacerbated by the absence of a deliberate drive to prioritise gender mainstreaming programmes. The policy makers and management by-in have been won but resource allocation is lacking. A disturbing scenario is the existence of many draft council policies which are awaiting council adoption (among them are the Gender Policy and the Sexual Harassment Policy). The absence of approved policies compromises commitment and compliance because the council feels not obliged to provide services that are not supported by policy and a budget. Training of Councillors, council employees and community members in gender mainstreaming is paramount if issues of equality are to be well understood. Consistency is another major challenge as the trained policy makers leave the organisation after five years. Reaching out to train and empower women and girls in communities is also a major hitch. The problem is, however, addressed by other organisations especially the Non-Governmental Organisations. Council is collaborating with organisations such as Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, Women’s Bureau and Gender Links with talks about service delivery during workshops that they organise and fund. Monitoring and evaluation tools are non-existent. Only reports are produced but the recommendations are not addressed. Information, education and communication materials are a good advocacy strategy but they need money to be produced. T-shirts, caps, hats, fliers, calendars etc with 50/50 campaigns could be produced. Policy makers and management are mostly men with 1 out of 18 Councillors and 2 out of 16 members of management being women, respectively. Middle and low level employees have more women than men especially in the health services. Additionally, employees and the community cannot claim for their legal rights because of lack of knowledge of the law.

My role in gender work has played a pivotal role in my life such that I obtained good education, a great job and managed to inspire my daughters to train in male dominated careers. The change in my life has been brought through my zeal to learn more and my drive to influence others. I am a member of organisations such as the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Gender Links, Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network, GIZ, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe, Women in Local Government Forum, Urban Councils’ Association of Zimbabwe and other Gender aware organisations

“I have developed a great interest in issues to do with gender equality, empowerment, and development and being a driver of change as a woman. This has been made possible by my sister Unity Jaji who has mentored me to be who I am today. Her dedication and zealous attitude towards the championing of gender issues is evident through women like me who have risen from zero to hero. I appreciate her efforts thus, I highly recommend her for any task that can be termed ‘challenging’. She is a role model.”Ellen Chamisa, Masvingo Teachers’ College, Graduate Primary School Teacher 2018.

Patriarchal beliefs have diminished and women and girls in the family make key decisions for themselves. Education and career choice for women and girls has improved compared to old generations where men furthered education and had good jobs and better lifestyles. Parents and children own property in terms of stands, houses, cars etc. Marriages of children are now done at mature ages and families charge reasonable lobola. There are less cases of oppression and abuse of women and girls since such cases are reported. I have seen myself contributing to a greater extent in the above gender related family issues.

Evidence of change at the household level      “My mother raised us to believe that we can pursue our dreams in a male dominated world, regardless of our gender. This motivated me to obtain both my honours and masters degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Pretoria in Africa. She is the foundation of our household and always ensures that we know our rights as women. As a gender focal person, she has inspired me to participate in academic activities that educate and empower other women in the engineering field and the community at large.” Fungai Jaji- Hwehwe, University of Pretoria, Graduate Electrical Engineer.

“We were trained by Mrs Unity Jaji as the members of the Council’s Interdepartmental Gender Committee and we are now able to spearhead gender programmes in Council. She continues to mentor us.” Nyemudzai Mlambo, City of Gweru, Housing Superintendent.

“Council’s services should be gender sensitive and council should monitor and evaluate its programmes to see how they can be improved.” Sithembile Dube, Ministry of women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Provincial Gender and Community Development Officer- Midlands.

“A Council approved Gender Action Plan is in place to guide gender mainstreaming activities in council. Unity has played a major role in the formulation and presentation of this plan to management and council. She works with a Gender Committee and presents gender reports in management and Ordinary Council meetings. Unity is a very powerful and influential woman. ” Elizabeth Gwatipedza, City of Gweru, Town Clerk.

“We were trained by Mrs Unity Jaji as the members of the Council’s Interdepartmental Gender Committee and we are now able to spearhead gender programmes in Council. She continues to mentor us.” Nyemudzai Mlambo, City of Gweru, Housing Superintendent.

“Council’s services should be gender sensitive and council should monitor and evaluate its programmes to see how they can be improved.” Sithembile Dube, Ministry of women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Provincial Gender and Community Development Officer- Midlands.

“A Council approved Gender Action Plan is in place to guide gender mainstreaming activities in council. Unity has played a major role in the formulation and presentation of this plan to management and council. She works with a Gender Committee and presents gender reports in management and Ordinary Council meetings. Unity is a very powerful and influential woman. ” Elizabeth Gwatipedza, City of Gweru, Town Clerk.

As a gender focal person for the City of Gweru, I have championed for gender equality in the workplace by enforcing and implementing policies. The said policies are required to guide the activities during the provision of services to the Council staff and clients. Policy makers and management by-in are critical for the success of a gender mainstreaming programme. To this regard, the council, under my leadership, has formulated and adopted the  gender sensitive policies and is currently implementing them and these includes , Recruitment Policy, transport , HIV/AIDS Policy,Housing , Gender Policy,Sexual Harassment, Occupation of Council Properties by-laws, Code of Conduct, Information Technology Policy,Communication and Public Relations , Vendors and Hawkers by-laws and health by-laws.

These  policies have been derived from the National Constitution and National Policies so they are in tandem with Zimbabwean laws.

“Sexual harassment has become the talk of the organization with the formulation of the Council’s Sexual Harassment Policy by Mrs Jaji’s Gender Committee. If you want to make your life miserable here at City of Gweru violate any woman’s rights.” Tapiwa Marerwa, City of Gweru, Assistant Director, Town Planning and Development Control.

“Here at City of Gweru, we have an open door policy to our clients. We have a vision to be A Sustainable City of Choice by 2030 as we strive to fulfil our mission to provide quality services to our stakeholders, residents and clients. This can only be achieved with the support of well documented and implementable policies that council has formulated for all services rendered.” Manford Admire Gambiza , City of Gweru, Acting Public Relations Manager.

Whilst I have undertaken several trainings on gender for council members, I enjoyed my recent engagement with Young Women’s Forum members in Gweru in a workshop strengthening their participation in civic processes. The group of thirty women aged between 18 and 35 years identified duty bearers to be their mentors. They were educated in areas including but not limited to; Legal instruments on women’s rights, health issues that affect them, technology and how to fruitfully use it, the constitution of Zimbabwe, opportunities in various organisations, emotional intelligence, civic engagement, and to voice out issues that concern them. Representatives from several organisations, including myself, were given an opportunity to discuss with the group. This became a good platform for me to train the group on gender issues related to the following services provided by City of Gweru:

• Clean water provision and water rationing
• Health services at council clinics
• Safe roads
• Refuse removal
• Economic development including poverty alleviation programmes
• Sewerage services
• Provision of housing (stands and houses)
• Provision of Education
• Provision of commercial and industrial stands
• Spatial planning

The question and answer session enlightened the group on the above council services.

I have learnt that Gender equality and gender equity are factors that promote empowerment. An empowered people are critical for national development. Gender mainstreaming is the right thing to do in provision of goods and services. There is need for change of mindset in addressing gender roles in the society. Mentor-ship of others by those who have been empowered economically, socially, politically, technologically and legally is encouraged if all people are to participate in decision making for the development of our people and communities.There are changes that take place at individual, household, institutional and policy levels. Collaborations can support significant capacity building programmes and resource mobilisation for gender programmes. Monitoring and Evaluation tools help evaluate gender mainstreaming programmes for future improvement. Gender Based Violence retards national development as affected people cannot fully contribute towards economic development. Gender work needs someone with love and passion.Policies commit leaders to take action and in turn beneficiaries of the policies can advocate for compliance.Ownership of property is good evidence of empowerment.The Past 2015 goals and beyond can be achievable with continued knowledge sharing and support. I applaud the Hub/Siphala/Dura Project in Zimbabwe.

In future ,I see gender mainstreaming as an ongoing process that should continue to be done in all organisations. Resource mobilisation for the success of programmes is critical. My organisation should increase budget allocations for future gender programmes. Collaborations are major sources of resources and should continue to be formed and nurtured. I see myself furthering my education, specialising in gender studies. I also want to retire early from formal employment and venture into self employment with a bias in consulting in gender development. The post 2015 goals should see an increase in numbers of empowered girls and women as a result of multifaceted gender mainstreaming strategies. The efforts of my mentors should be reciprocated by my ability to mentor more women and girls and by my contribution to policy review and formulation in service delivery in my organisation. Monitoring and evaluation is a process that should help assess the efforts I am making and my organisation is also making in gender justice. I want to ensure that apart from reporting and showcasinggender indicators and asses its gender programmes and make efforts to improve weak areas.