In Ward 2, where I am the councillor, there is a section of single quarters which sadly accommodates an average of six people in a single room i.e. mother, father and four children. This set up has always made it very difficult for parents in these houses to have any privacy. Mothers and fathers cannot be intimate freely as their children are in the same room. This has led to some men beating up their wives for withholding conjugal rights. I had to stop a man in my ward from beating his wife in the middle of the night and posed a question to the rest of the men as to how they would react if their sisters were being abused. Hence I advised all the men present to go back home and make a difference and stop gender based violence (GBV) in homes, workplaces and in their community.
I maintain an open door policy which means all residents are welcome at my place of residence to discuss issues of common interest for the development of our wards. I welcome ideas from youths, women, men and institutions in the ward that need to be communicated to council for redress.
“The time is now for the nation to be freeÀ. These are some of the words of Cllr Sefali when he was first interviewed as a driver of change. “It is very difficult to change old people’s minds. If young people can be taught to be gender sensitive, we are sure of a future generation that is gender sensitive. Women will not be seen as minors but as people who can be trusted to manage the politics of the country.À
“It is just few months since I started working with Gender Links (GL) or knowing it very well, but it has already given me another life and my life has changed so drastically that I cannot believe it.À My name is Monyane Ntoi and I work as chairperson of the Phuthiatsana Community Council and I have been a councillor for almost nine years now. It has been quite a journey, but I wish I could have known Gender Links earlierÀ
My first meeting with Gender Links (GL) was very hectic because I was not interested in gender issues. Now that I am gender aware, the outcome has reflected on the community I am serving and that is bringing light. My job is to change people’s lives at the grassroots level from the worst position to better off economically, socially and politically. My office is contiguous to the community.
Reginah’s most memorable experience with Gender Links was her presentation in 2013. She presented the project under the category climate change and sustainable development. Winning at national and regional level was a dream come true. “It was not about winning the presentation but about the changes that you have made being appreciated. Seeing yourself driving a project which is recognised nationally and internationally as an outstanding project gives the driver the qualification of number one driver of change.À
Gender Links shaped my character as an individual. Being a young woman in the forefront of an institution gives me the opportunity to meet different people. Some think they can take you for granted as a young woman. Gender Links armed me with all the necessary tools to stand my ground and understand that I am a role player around issues of gender based violence.
Gender Links (GL) and its interventions and the SADC Gender Protocol were mere rhetoric to me before 2013. At first I thought that women were not important in decision making. Through my relationship with GL I have learnt to reshape people’s consciousness and to redefine social relations to create a women-centered culture.
Mrs. Meera Ramputty is a gender champion in the district council of Flacq. She lives in Central Flacq in the Republic of Mauritius. She first met Gender Links in 2012 at a Gender Based Violence (GBV) event. She attended the Gender Links Summit and has encountered Gender Links at several other workshops and campaigns.
I first met Gender Links at a workshop some time in 2006 or 2007 and since then my perspective has changed drastically, even though in my own way I have been fighting the disparity between boys and girls since early childhood.
Lydia Sambo, the Agriculture Extension Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture in Katete District, is a person who has enormous passion to improve the lives of women. Her first encounter with Gender Links was during the 16 days of Activism in 2011.
The beneficiary, Adraida Banda, is currently working as a Town Planner for Solwezi Municipal Council in the north western part of Zambia. She joined the council as a planning officer. The nature of her work mainly involves the coordination of developmental activities in the district as well as monitoring and evaluation of the same projects.