Zimbabwe: *Rebecca Moyo

My name is Rebecca Moyo* I met Gender Links in 2014. My first encounter with the organisation opened my eyes and I became aware of my rights. I was taught that no person is allowed to perpetrate any form of abuse on another person. I am now aware of the steps I take when I or someone experienced Gender Based Violence. Since that day I vowed to report cases of Gender Based Violence to the police or community leaders and not to family members because they usually conceal such matters.

Gender Links introduced to us the entrepreneurship programme that was subdivided into three stages. I attended all stages and successfully completed the course. The training changed me from being an ignorant person because I now know my rights. I am now able to stand on my own and not to depend on someone for survival. The most useful lesson I picked is on the dangers of rushing into marriages and I pledged to share that information with young girls in my community. The knowledge helped me to know the proper channels to be followed whenever I experience Gender Based Violence.

My relationship with family members is now too strong. I am no longer hiding anything from them and I involved them in my new love relationship because they now understand me better. I discovered that in-laws pretend to love you but at the back of their mind they will be carrying evil intentions. This taught me to focus on my immediate family members and improve the way I relate to them. My relatives used to pay rentals for me but now I can do that on my own. All family members now understand that being a divorcee is not a crime a person can continue with life while focusing on productive things.

The Bulawayo City Council helped me a lot because they are the ones who linked me with Gender Linnks. They offered us council facilities where we conducted our lessons from. After the training, officials from the council continued supporting us through encouraging. The council was also working hard to ensure that we attend workshops whenever Gender Links is having one.

Before I met Gender Links I was not doing anything productive. I was living like a prisoner in a free country due to the abuse that was perpetrated on me by my former husband. I am currently working hard to educate young girls in my community on the importance of empowering themselves before they rush into marriages. I always talk to them about the dangers associated with depending on the husband for survival. I took advantage of community gatherings to share with other people what I had learnt from Gender Links.

The outstanding effort I put towards ending Gender Based Violence and empowering women was recognized by the community and they elevated me to be a member of the Residents Association. This opened new opportunities for me and I now have the leverage to reach out to all people in my community and give them lectures on GBV.